(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, May 1, reminded businesses of their “shared responsibility in improving the lives of our workers by providing them stable career opportunities and humane working conditions.”
The President issued the reminder in his Labor Day message, as he extolled the Filipino worker, whose “hard work serves as the very foundation of our nation’s prosperity and growth.”
“As all work is vital in forging a more inclusive and more progressive Philippines, may each and every Filipino rightfully enjoy the fruits of their labor and lead more productive and dignified lives,” he said.
He reaffirmed the government’s “commitment to uphold the dignity of labor by safeguarding the rights of our workers through the humanization of laws and the equalization of social forces.”
“Globally renowned for its professional excellence and unmatched diligence, our workforce continues to benefit communities and industries across the world,” he said.
President Duterte has vowed an end to some forms of contractualization.
In 2018, the President signed an executive order ending “illegal contractualization,” including the subcontracting of workers.
Congress earlier passed the Security of Tenure bill, but the President vetoed it, reiterating the need to balance workers’ interests with those of businesses.
“I believe the sweeping expansion of the definition of labor-only contracting destroys the delicate balance and will place capital and management at an impossibly difficult predicament with adverse consequences to the Filipino workers in the long term,” President Duterte had said.