Daily TribuneRA 10396 is an act strengthening conciliation-mediation as a voluntary mode of dispute settlement for all labor cases amending Article 228 of Presidential Decree 442 as amended, otherwise known as the ‘Labor Code of the Philippines’
Photograph Courtesy of DOLE Region 7/Fb
The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas reported on Wednesday that at least 4,164 workers in the region were paid P228 million in their long overdue settlement and last pay from their employers from January to November 2023.
DoLE-7 regional director Lilia Estillore said the DoLE Tri-City field office that covers the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu emerged as the frontrunner, disbursing P119.8 million to 3,305 aggrieved workers.
It was followed by Negros Oriental with P16.6 million to 348 workers; Cebu province with P6.2 million to 304 workers; Bohol with P4.5 million to 129 workers and Siquijor with P876,673.44 to 78 workers.
The payment dispute was facilitated by and settled through the Single-Entry Approach program. The program was introduced under Department Order 107-10 and was institutionalized through the enactment of Republic Act 10396 in 2013.
RA 10396 is an act strengthening conciliation-mediation as a voluntary mode of dispute settlement for all labor cases amending Article 228 of Presidential Decree 442 as amended, otherwise known as the "Labor Code of the Philippines."
"The accomplishments are credited to the settled request for assistance that were received and handled by the different field offices of DoLE-7. We have our single-entry assistance desk officers or Seados who see to it that settlement is reached by parties involved," Estillore said.
"We are expecting an increase in the settlement amount as well as in the number of workers benefiting the program at the end of the year," she added.
Estillore also said that the program is achieving its aim to help the aggrieved without going through the rigors of filing cases and awaiting their resolutions to reach finality for execution by the sheriff.
The disputes varied as there are those from business process outsourcing industry, the manufacturing sector and in the construction industry and Estillore said that the 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation process — a hallmark of Sena — played a pivotal role in ensuring these resolutions as mandated by RA 10396.
