“Radiating positivity, creating connectivity” CEBU BUSINESS Room 310-A, 3rd floor WDC Bldg. Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City You may visit Cebu Business Week WEEK Facebook page. March 22 - 28, 2021 Volume 3, Series 79 www.cebubusinessweek.com 12 PAGES P15.00 REVISED LABOR LAW COMPLETE Existing code made 47 years ago as a martial law presidential decree THE former Department Seno brothers (of the Trade By: ELIAS O. BAQUERO er countries because while the because of pandemic. of Labor and Employment Union Congress of the Philip- workers are peacefully per- He added that when (DOLE) undersecretary has pines) already passed away,” ing student and finished the forming their jobs, inspectors OFWs arrived, they went submitted the proposed Jimenez said. course as magna cum laude. of the Department of Labor straight to the hotels for 14- amendment to the 47-year- He said that the con- “I have contributed some- and Employment (DOLE) day quarantine paid by the old Labor Code of the Phil- gressman in Baguio City who thing to the existing labor conducted raids even on small Overseas Workers Welfare ippines to benefit both labor is an expert on labor law has code. But this law is only ef- firms and penalized them for Administration (OWWA). and management. hired him as consultant in the fective during Martial Law. labor violations in the amount “Bello has no more time to Atty. Josephus B. Jimenez House of Representatives to This law was made 47 years of P300,000 and above. improve the labor code. So, I said the Philippines is a dem- pass a new labor code. ago. We need to have a new “Even if a small facto- have to make it as a labor con- ocratic country. However, the As a result, Jimenez who labor code,” Jimenez said. ry has employed about 20 sultant in the House of Repre- labor system was in a form of studied labor laws, made the He added that due to the employees, they just closed sentatives,” Jiminez said. a presidential decree issued draft labor law which is now a pandemic, millions of work- to avoid DOLE harassment. He said that House Speak- by the late dictator. bill filed in the Lower House. ers lost jobs because several Instead of helping the small er Lord Alan Velasco received Jimenez, a former vice Records showed that in companies cannot anymore companies as they are paying his draft appointment paper, president on human relations 1974, then President Ferdi- operate. Their families are taxes and salaries, they are he (Velasco) recognized him as of San Miguel Corporation nand E. Marcos ruled the economically suffering. being harassed based on the his former law professor at the (SMC) and Pepsi Cola, said country under Martial Law. The tourism industry is labor code. So, we will amend University of Sto. Tomas and that because we are in a pan- Jimenez, a new lawyer at that affected. Several hotels are the labor code,” Jimenez said. he immediately approved it. demic, the workers need dem- time, was hired by then Labor closed. Shangri-la has closed. He said he pity his friend, Jimenez said that he fo- ocratic rules and regulations. Minister Blas Ople of the Min- The Nissan and Ford au- DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bel- cused on rewriting the labor Jimenez, also a law pro- istry of Labor to help him in to-manufacturing firms have lo III due to several problems code since January 2021 un- fessor, said that there should constructing the labor code. closed and transferred to oth- not only in the domestic front til his birthday last March 19 be an independent system of Ople knew that Jimenez er country. but also the Overseas Filipi- and has submitted it to the running a private company studied law at the Universi- Jimenez said that foreign no Workers (OFWs) who are congressman who chaired the since under the present situa- ty of the Visayas as a work- firms are transferring to oth- coming to him by thousands Committee on Law. tion, the management’s hands He said the House Com- are tied because the labor code mittee on Labor will put that is a dictatorial system. for deliberation and public Jimenez said that while hearing. he respects all the Cebuano One change in the labor members of Congress, none code is to stop the brain drain of them specializes in labor where intelligent Filipino laws. The Cebuano congress- workers are going abroad. men and congresswoman do “We want to think what not know the philosophy and the needs are of the Filipino reality in labor. workers to convince them to “We have no more la- stay here, and only the excess bor experts in Cebu. Atty. work force shall be sent to oth- Democrito Mendoza and er countries,” Jiminez said. 2 March 22 - 28, 2021 Cebu Business Week NEWS DOLE-7 releases half a million worth of livelihood assistance in Bohol ADDITIONAL beneficia- that DOLE provides finan- ries are to start soon with their cial assistance. The Depart- business projects after col- ment does not just give it to lectively receiving more than anyone. It means to say that P500,000.00 from the Depart- the DOLE’s livelihood benefi- ment in the province of Bohol. ciaries received the assistance Department of Labor because they deserve it after and Employment 7 (DOLE their respective project pro- 7) -Bohol Field Office (BFO) posals have passed the stan- Officer-in-Charge Angelie T. dards of the Regional Project Salgados reported to DOLE-7 Management Team,” added Regional Director Salome O. Director Siaton. Siaton that funds have been Under the DOLE Inte- released to beneficiaries of grated Livelihood and Emer- DOLE’s livelihood program in gency Employment Program a ceremonial turn-over held BUDDING ENTREPRENEURS. SENIOR LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT OFFICER MA. CORAZON MON- (DILEEP), livelihood projects at the New Provincial Capitol ROID OF DOLE-BOHOL FIELD OFFICE (FOURTH FROM LEFT) IS JOINED BY REP. EDGAR CHATTO are categorized into Group DURING THE TURNOVER OF CHECK WEDNESDAY (MARCH 17, 2021) AMOUNTING TO PHP560,000 Building, Barangay Cogon, IN LIVELIHOOD ASSISTANCE TO PAGMATA PRESIDENT CONCEPCION BRUÑIDOR (THIRD FROM Projects and Individual Proj- Tagbilaran City. RIGHT). MEMBERS OF THE BOHOL-BASED ASSOCIATION WILL USE THE FUNDS TO START THEIR ects. Witnessed by Congress- RESPECTIVE ENTERPRISES. (PHOTO COURTESY OF DOLE-7) Beneficiaries under Group man Edgar M. Chatto, mem- Projects could be granted a bers of the Panaghiusa sa Mga are expected to produce san- “After canvassing and pro- form of some trainings on sim- maximum financial assistance Gagmay’ng Magpatigayon dals, bags and other souvenir curement of goods have been ple bookkeeping and project of One Million Pesos depend- saTagbilaran (PAGMATA) items,” she said, adding that carried out, beneficiaries will management. ing on the number of members and three more individuals the other three individual ben- receive the tools, jigs and ma- Siaton congratulated the that comprises the group or received livelihood funds for eficiaries will engage in food terials required by their respec- latest additions to the pool of association and their project their new business undertak- selling and tailoring business. tive projects,” said Salgados. DOLE livelihood program ben- requirements. Those under ings. The assistance that benefi- She said that to ensure that eficiaries. Individual Projects, on the According to Salgados, ciaries received, falls under the recipients are socially ready for She urged them to work other hand, could be given up PAGMATA members will soon Individual Projects category the DOLE’s assistance, they hard and do their best in to Thirty Thousand Pesos de- venture into Production of that granted each one of them were provided with the neces- sustaining their individual pending on the project require- Souvenir Items Projects. “They Php20,000.00. sary technical assistance in the projects. “It’s not every day ments. Business in limbo as consumers show no confidence: businessman BUSINESSMAN Rey E. Product (GDP). of economy, and if Manila’s suffering from heart problem personnel who are focused on Calooy said the business sector In the United States, economy will be crippled, the cannot anymore consult Covid-19 and the other diseases is still in wait-and-see stance Americans reopened their entire country will be affected doctors because they cannot are left behind which caused while the consumers still economy but the vaccination because the heads of offices, the travel, and their doctors are more fatalities? have no confidence because is fast. In the Philippines, the decision makers are there. either attending to Covid-19 He said that the vaccines of Covid-19 resulting to the economy was reopened but the He said there is a lot of patients or they themselves given to the Philippines by collapse of the economy. vaccination is slow. destruction to the economy. were affected and are not China are also called “vaccine Calooy, president of the In the Philippines, There are more people who available. This means that the diplomacy” because this is one Filipino-Cebuano Business President Rodrido Duterte died of heart attack than maintenance medicines and the way of how to influence Asian Club (FilCeb), said that for the wants about 75 million people Covid-19. The comparative data regular check up were halted,” countries and other countries. last two weeks, quarantine and or haft of the Filipino population from 2019 to 2020 showed Calooy said. He also said the vaccine travel restrictions were lifted. to be vaccinated. That is only that the number of people who Calooy added that because diplomacy has become “vaccine But the spread of Covid-19 for the vaccine and does not died of heart attack caused of Covid-19, our resources politics” because several increased especially in Metro include the logistical effort.