Villanueva expects Duterte commitment on Filipino labor on Sona

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Joel Villanueva on Friday said he is looking forward to hear the President’s commitment in protecting and promoting the interests of Filipino workers in his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 22.

In particular, Villanueva said he wants to find out the outcome of the Security of Tenure bill, or popularly known as the “End Endo” bill which seeks end the practice of illegal labor contracting.

President Rodrigo Duterte asked Congress to pass the bill at last year’s Sona, certifying the measure as urgent. Congress was able to pass the bill last Congress and it was transmitted to Malacañang last month.

“The bill adheres to the Constitution, which mandates the regulation of relations between workers and employers, recognizing the right of labor to its just share in the fruits of production and the right of enterprises to reasonable returns on investments, and to expansion and growth,” the senator said in a statement.

“Thus, the Security of Tenure bill manages to strike a balance between contrasting interests of labor and employers,” he added.

Villanueva, who chairs the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resource, expressed hope that Duterte would sign the measure into law.

He also expects the President to tackle other measures that will advocate for the interest of Filipino labor.

The surge of illegal foreign workers and the Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO) sector were a growing cause for concern in the previous Congress, he noted.

He added that the POGO sector must be carefully monitored as it may do more harm than good to the country’s economy.

“We have to be careful about this new industry because the benefits we stand to lose may be greater than those we could gain,” the senator said.

He said he intended to file a resolution to examine the supposed benefits from the POGO industry. /muf