Duterte won’t issue EO to stop ‘endo’; it’s up to Congress, says Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III (FILE Photo from the Presidential Communications Operations Office)

President Rodrigo Duterte would no longer issue an executive order to stop “endo” or end of contract, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the position of the Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello was to leave it up to Congress to pass a law instead. Roque said the President would go by the decision of Bello.

“Since my last statement on this, I’ve had the occasion to find out, number one, that the position of Secretary Bello now is it is better to leave the matter of endo to Congress,” Roque said in a Palace briefing.

Roque had earlier said that Duterte would sign an EO to end contractualization on or before May 1, Labor Day.

The Palace official said Duterte would now go by the decision of Bello.

“We go by the—alam mo naman ang position ni President ‘no (you know the position of the President, right). He leaves the management of the line departments to the Secretaries,” he said.

Asked if Duterte would certify as urgent the bill on endo, Roque said, “We will find out, because that seems to be the solution to it all.”

“That would be the solution by which so that the Senate can fast track the passage of the endo bill,” he added.

Roque explained that passing a law on endo would be better, saying that “an EO can only do so much.”

“It’s now left to Congress although let’s see if the certification as urgent will come out ‘no, very soon,” he said.

Pressed if the decision of the President on endo was final, he said, “I believe so, that is the position of Secretary Bello now.”

Labor groups had expected President Duterte to sign the much-awaited directive ending the practice of “endo” at a meeting with them on Monday, but Malacañang canceled the meeting. /je