The business groups say those rules effectively impinge on their constitutional rights and management prerogatives, particularly in hiring and firing people based on competence. The government, one of the biggest employers of contractuals, will not be covered by the SOT law, indicating the difficulties in enforcing such a measure. Contractualization has been abused by certain employers and sectors, the business groups concede. The Build Build Build infrastructure program cannot make up for all the jobs that might be lost to AI, which a recent study has estimated could reach 18 million in several sectors including labor-intensive manufacturing and agriculture. He must be able to strike that delicate balance in this issue, protecting workers from abuses in contractualization while at the same time preserving and creating jobs.

Source: Philippine Star July 20, 2019 16:00 UTC