A YOUTH group called Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio “reckless” for urging businessmen to hire senior high school graduates.

“It’s as if she was pimping vulnerable sectors to overzealous patrons eager to make a quick buck out of their desperation and inadequate knowledge on what transpires when our senior high students enter the workforce,” John Lazaro, Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan national coordinator, said.

“As the promise of employment remains attractive to our youth, it is their lack of knowledge of labor standards and labor rights that will put them in danger, especially as employers’ abusive practices have remained unchecked,” Lazaro added.

Speaking before the 48th Business Conference of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Duterte asked employers to hire senior high school graduates as she lamented the Philippines suffers from a “diploma mentality” where college graduates edge out senior high graduates in terms of employability.

SPARK noted that it is not enough that K to 12 graduates are equipped with the necessary skill set to be globally competitive. They should also be armed with sufficient knowledge of their rights and benefits, and procedures in various state agencies they have to engage with.

“With inflation and the government’s unsatisfactory post-Covid recovery programs as our backdrop, the VP is basically enticing capitalists to exploit our young workforce,” Lazaro said.

“Duterte is the modern day pied piper that will lead our youth to lifelong misery and abuse.”