In a forum organized by big business groups, presidential aspirant and Senator Panfilo Lacson pushed for internships in the Philippines to be paid.

“We must promote a paid internship program where college graduates and undergraduates can undergo internships in government offices, as well as in private corporations and businesses, in order to maximize skills development and productivity,” Lacson said on Saturday, October 31.

Lacson was speaking at the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) forum, which gathered leaders from big businesses.

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In the Philippines, internships are mostly unpaid, with companies commonly saying that students gain “experience” and “exposure” in exchange for their labor.

The Labor Code of the Philippines does not require internships to be paid. The same labor code is the basis of the Commission on Higher Education’s guidelines for internships, which mainly focuses on companies having an internship plan for college students but no provision on compensating for the work of students.

Lacson emphasized that the paid internships should apply to college and undergraduate students, adding that the government and private groups must put a premium on the labor of young Filipinos.

The Partido Reporma standard-bearer said he would include this thrust in his yet-to-be-revealed economic agenda.

In the same forum, Lacson pushed for state universities and colleges or SUCs to focus more on agricultural and “technical” courses. – Rappler.com