TACLOBAN CITY, June 25 (PNA) — An official of the city government’s Treasurer’s Office said that close to 12,000 individuals are employed in over 2,800 business establishments that since opened after Tacloban was devastated by supertyphoon Yolanda.
However, the number of individuals currently employed on these business establishments represents just 30 percent from its previous workforce before Tacloban was pummeled by Yolanda more than seven months ago, said Pat Pedrosa, assistant officer of the Licenses and Permits Division of the Treasurer’s Office.
Before Yolanda hit the regional capital of Eastern Visayas, it had a workforce of 38,700 from the 12,900 registered business establishments in the city.
But as of June 16, 11,996 individuals are currently employed to the 2,803 business establishments now operating in the city.
Pedrosa is confident that before the year is over, the number of individuals employed in the city would increase as they project more business establishments would operate.
Last June 14, the Gaisano Central reopened for business employing of more than 300 workers.
“Our downtown area is now alive as many of our business establishments are now in operations. We expect that before the year is over, more establishments will be opening up, particularly those under renewal of business establishments,” she said.
She also said that of the 2,803 businesses currently in operations in the city, 2,592 were renewal while 211 were new licenses ranging from boarding houses, beauty parlors, printing shops, bakeshops and trading centers.
The operations of these business establishments generated P63.11 million for the city government. This represents 60 percent of last year covering the same period of P104.92 million.
Pedrosa said that they only projected an income of P120 million for the entire year. (PNA)