Silence surrounding RACE funding alarms metalworkers’ association

THE Philippine Metalworkers’ Alliance (PMA) said the government needs to clarify funding for the Revitalizing the Automotive Industry for Competitive Enhancement (RACE) Program, which was among the vetoed items under the 2026 national budget.

According to the group, the uncertainty caused by the government’s silence on the RACE program “threatens not only industrial growth but the jobs and livelihoods of Filipino workers across the automotive value chain.”

The government has already clarified the possible funding sources for the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS), which had also been subject to a Palace veto.

“The government’s silence on where to get the money is deafening. It speaks volumes about where their priorities lie,” PMA National President Narciso Lozano said in a statement on Thursday.

“For workers, this is not an abstract budget debate. This is about whether Filipino metalworkers will still have stable jobs, decent wages, and a future in manufacturing — or whether we allow good industrial jobs to slowly disappear,” he added.

According to the group, the automotive industry supports assembly plants, parts manufacturing, metalworking, electronics, logistics, transport, and service workers.

“When government support weakens, workers are the first to feel the impact through layoffs, contractualization, and plant closures,” it said.

“RACE is critical because it opens opportunities for more firms, more plants, and more workers to participate in automotive manufacturing,” Mr. Lozano said.

“Without it, the industry becomes narrower, more fragile, and more vulnerable to import dependence,” he added.

He said the government’s industrial policy should also be viewed in the context of worker security.

“You cannot claim to protect workers while defunding the very programs that sustain industrial employment. A country that abandons manufacturing abandons its workers,” he added.

The group said that the government should not treat CARS and RACE as competing budget items.

“The two programs are complementary: CARS sustains existing production and employment, while RACE expands the industry, creates new jobs, and strengthens long-term competitiveness,” Mr. Lozano said.

“The government must fund both CARS and RACE in 2026 — not choose one over the other. Filipino workers deserve no less,” he added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile