PRESIDENT Duterte has certified the passage of the security of tenure bill as urgent, in efforts to fulfill his campaign promise of banning labor-only contracting in the country.
“Nag-certify po ng urgent ang ating Presidente para maisabatas ng Senado itong batas laban sa endo,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing yesterday.
Sen. Joel Villanueva, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, had earlier released a copy of Duterte’s certification contained in the President’s letter to Senate President Vicente “Tito” C. Sotto III dated Sept. 21.
“Pursuant to the provisions of Article VI, Section 23 (2) of the 1987 Constitution, I hereby certify to the necessity of the immediate enactment of Senate Bill No. 1826,” Duterte’s letter to Sotto said.
In the letter, Duterte also said that the priority measure is expected “to strengthen workers’ security of tenure by prohibiting the prevalent practices of contractualization and labor-only contracting.”
Roque explained that the Senate version now prevents all labor-contracting “regardless of whether or not the contractor has substantial capital or investment.”
“Itong bersyon po ng Senado ay nagbabawal sa lahat ng labor-only contracting at hindi po nito ine-exempt ang mga contractor na malaki ang kapital or maraming investments,” Roque said.
“We laud the move of the President certifying our Security of Tenure Bill as a priority measure. It is important that we pass this into law to finally put an end to work schemes like ‘endo’ and labor-only contracting,” Villanueva, principal author and sponsor of the measure, said.
Villanueva said the Security of Tenure bill, once signed into law, would amend and remove the ambiguities in the Labor Code.
It would prohibit labor-only contracting, and provide penalties for its violation. The bill would limit job contracting only to licensed and specialized services. (Vanne Elaine P. Terrazola)
