‘We are not allowed to charge for our services’ – Bello

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has denied charging for seminars it conducts on occupational safety and health as claimed by a board member of the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation, Inc. (Mowelfund).

Mowelfund board member and seasoned actor Rez Cortez told the Senate panel Monday about being charged to attend a seminar on occupational safety and health standards conducted by DOLE.

“Concerning doon sa occupational safety and health standards, napadalan kami ng e-mail ng DOLE na iniinvite kami na mag-attend ng seminar na kinonduct nila. Actually, last year pa ito. At merong singil. Kailangan magbayad kung mag-aattend,” Cortez told the Senate panel.

(Concerning the occupational safety and health standards, we have received an e-mail by DOLE, inviting us to attend a seminar they are conducting. This was last year. And it has a fee. There is a need to pay if we will attend.)

But DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III was quick to deny the claim, saying it is not allowed to charge for the services their agency provides.

“Wala po kaming sinisingil. Wala po sa ugali namin naniningil. Bawal samin maningil sa serbisyo namin,” Bello said.

(We don’t charge. It’s not in our nature to charge. We are not allowed to charge for our services.)

DOLE Assistant Secretary Benjo Benavidez echoed Bello’s defense and said: “Gusto muna namin linawin, hindi po kami naniningil for trainings that we conduct. Maybe that training must have been conducted or sponsored by an accredited agency or organization.”

(We want to clarify that we do not charge for the trainings that we conduct. Maybe that training must have been conducted or sponsored by an accredited agency or organization.)

Cortez, however, said he can show them the e-mail Mowelfund has received, stating a participant must pay P2,000 to join the seminar.

“Sir, I can show you the e-mail na may charges. It’s specifically P2,000 per participant,” Cortez said.

(Sir, I can show you the e-mail proving there are charges. It’s specifically P2,000 per participant.) /kga