27
On a related question, 67.8% of respondents also expressed skepticism about the
government's policies for workers' protection in the event of disasters, calamities,
or pandemics in the future. The reasons for this view include:
● The difficulty in accessing aid and other government programs;
● Perceived responsiveness of the programs;
● Insufficient and ineffective programs against COVID-19;
● Non-universal delivery of ayuda;
● Susceptibility of ayuda efforts to patronage politics;
● Non-compliance of management with its responsibilities and promises to
workers; and
● Lack of wage increases.
Figure 22: Assessment of Government Preparedness for Future Emergencies
There is a similar assessment of OSH standards in the country. 50% of
respondents view existing government programs and policies as non-responsive
to the need for improving OSH in the Philippines. Together with the 12.5% that
slightly agreed to the negative assessment, this amounts to 62.5% of the survey
participants. This view is due to factors such as:
● Significant gaps and problems in implementation;
● The lack of enforcement on the part of NGAs; and
● The fact that OSH standards and concerns are not even explained to
workers in some enterprises.