How Workers’ Cooperatives Help Grow the Economy through Build, Build, Build
Kristinne Ardel Bendo
Marketing and Communications Department
 
The Philippines’ current economic situation and how Build, Build, Build helps to alleviate unemployment.

          President Rodrigo Duterte’s Build, Build, Build Project aims to alleviate this economic issue through its infrastructure program by providing jobs to millions of Filipinos. The administration believes that infrastructure projects are an effective tool to boost growth, attract investments, and create jobs in the country. This project includes construction and development of roads, highways, airports, etc. and has an allocated budget of around Php8 trillion. According to DPWH, the Build, Build, Build Project has created 5 million jobs from 2016-2019.         

          Come 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the country had to face the spike of unemployment when more than 7.3 million Filipinos lost their jobs and the unemployment rate rose to a record-high 17.7 percent in April 2020.
 
Taking Part in Community Development through Jobs

          The Workers’ Cooperatives under tipón Federation of First Filipino Worker-Owned Service Cooperative, serve to provide livelihood opportunities to the marginalized sector of the country’s communities. For more than 20 years, the worker cooperatives under tipón have provided access to more than 300,000 job opportunities in the country.

          Now that the world is facing an unprecedented time with the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been less jobs for the Filipino people. Even the cooperatives are not exempted from this adverse effect of the pandemic with membership decreasing by almost 50% by the time consecutive lockdowns were implemented.

          In order to continuously live up to its purpose of inspiring meaningful and fulfilled lives with its members through job creations and opportunities, tipón Federation embarked on new projects and relationships with partners that can help advance the values of the cooperative. One of which is a client who is an expert in complex projects involving tunnels, engineering structures and road, port, and rail infrastructures, and which has expertise in managing large-scale projects with high added value. It is currently involved in the Build, Build, Build Project through the LRT1 Expansion and North South Commuter Railway projects. An existing client introduced this new client to the cooperative which led to the project award of LRT1 in March 2020.  The cooperative has since deployed 169 members despite the pandemic.

          For both NSCR and LRT1 projects, tipón has already deployed 489 members and are set to add 550 more this year. In this partnership, the cooperative members are responsible for steel rebar works such as bending, cutting and installation, installation of forms, and concrete pouring for the fulfillment of the projects.

          As a service provider committed to advancing the marginalized sector, tipón Federation takes part in the Build, Build, Build Project through its Construction Group which has over 7 years of construction experience. The Construction Group is also the first cooperative in the Philippines to have acquired the Philippines Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) license, which aims to ensure the safety of the public and that only qualified and reliable contractors are allowed to undertake construction in the country. For over 7 years, tipón Federation through the Construction Group has built partnerships and is now a trusted partner of some of the biggest construction companies in the Philippines.

          With these new projects and partnership, tipón is set out to provide hundreds of job opportunities to the Filipino people which is just what the country needs to rehabilitate the economy especially in this time of pandemic. Since the partnership has started, the cooperative has provided job opportunities to its marginalized member-workers, and continues to grow – staying true to its purpose of providing livelihood opportunities to the marginalized sector.

          In a report by The ASEAN Post, the Build, Build, Build Project is a success despite lockdowns and quarantine measures because a number of flagship infrastructure projects have been completed. Those that are transport-related projects are seen to ease road congestion especially in Metro Manila. This will improve the mobility in the country, and ultimately, boost the country’s economy. By taking part in the Build, Build, Build Project through the LRT1 Expansion and North South Commuter Railway projects, tipón is helping the Philippines grow and boost its economy while living up to its purpose of providing livelihood opportunities to the marginalized sector. This is in support of President Duterte’s vision of pursuing human rights by giving Filipinos a decent and dignified future through social and physical infrastructures necessary to better their lives.

Sources:
*'Build, Build, Build' infra projects are economic benefits: PRRD https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1110274
*In Southeast Asia, The Philippines only ranks behind Indonesia in the severity of the COVID-19 health crisis. But the pandemic could provide impetus for much-needed economic reform, say Adam Schwarz and Ken Estiller. https://asialink.unimelb.edu.au/insights/has-covid-19-made-the-philippines-the-sick-man-of-asia-once-more
*https://business.inquirer.net/254682/understanding-build-build-build-program