Akbayan Partylist on Thursday warned Filipinos that electing presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. could mean "complete death" for job security.
In a statement, the partylist attributed its claim to the Marcos family's "dark legacy of killing union activists and workers, and an abysmal track record on job creation."
"[If] Marcos Jr. will be elected as President, he will be a 'job killer,'" said the partylist.
"A second Marcos presidency could signal the 'complete death' of workers' right to job security," it added.
In a previous statement, the partylist's first nominee Percival Cendaña said that Marcos Jr. "cannot be expected to create jobs for millions of unemployed Filipinos."
"He has never held a job all his life, and he's never been a worker. Marcos Jr. is ignorant of the concept of decent work and the urgency of looking for any kind of employment just to make ends meet," Cendaña said.
"He will be a job killer. And because he doesn't have a deep appreciation for the value of work and the workers' right to job security, his elitist instincts will prevail, and he will surely enact anti-worker policies."
Marcos Jr. previously said he plans to create more jobs in the sectors of agriculture, tourism, and micro, small, and medium enterprises.
He stressed the necessity of creating more jobs to provide relief for Filipinos affected by the pandemic and its effect on the economy.
Manila Film Center
Meanwhile, members of the Akbayan partylist plan to flock to the Manila Film Center on Thursday to seek justice for the workers who were trapped and killed during the construction of the building.
The building, which cost USD21 million, was a project of former First Lady Imelda Marcos. Its construction was riddled with controversy after the roof of the establishment collapsed when it was being built in November 1981.
An alleged 169 workers were buried under the drying cement, according to the Martial Law Museum, with some "completely drowned in the rubble, while others half-buried."
The partylist members' plan to head to the film center came three days before the country marks the International Labor Day on May 1.
