Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go has reintroduced a measure seeking to create an additional division of the National Labor Relations Commission to be established in Davao City.
The senator filed Senate Bill 1187 which aims to amend the relevant provisions of the Labor Code of the Philippines, shall likewise increase the number of commissioners from 23 to 26 as each NLRC division is composed of three members.
In accordance with the existing practice, the three additional commissioners shall come each from the public, workers' and employers' sectors. The powers, functions and duties of the NLRC, however, remain the same.
"With a growing number of local and overseas workers, the NLRC is now tasked with more significant responsibility," Go said. "Thus, creating an additional division of the NLRC will be beneficial for the proper administration and implementation of the labor laws and rules."
NLRC is a quasi-judicial body attached to the Department of Labor and Employment tasked with promoting and maintaining industrial peace by resolving labor and management disputes involving workers.
Go stressed that the increase in the number of local and overseas workers under the NLRC's jurisdiction calls for the corresponding expansion of the body in order to minimize case backlogs and address labor disputes in a timely manner.
