Senate to prioritize ‘endo’ bill —Koko Pimentel

By AMITA LEGASPI, GMA News, May 1, 2018

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said Tuesday passing a law that puts an end to ‘endo’ will be one of the priorities of the chamber when it resumes session later this month.

“Yes (it will be a priority. It will) focus on ending illegal contractualization,” Pimentel said in a message to reporters.

In his Labor Day speech, President Rodrigo Duterte said he signed an executive order seeking to end illegal contractualization, and urged Congress to revisit the Labor Code which he said was outdated.

The Senate leader agreed with the President that there should be a new Labor Code to strengthen workers’ security of tenure.

Senator Joel Villanueva, chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development, welcomed the EO prohibiting illegal contracting and sub-contracting.

“The EO, whatever it is, is a guide for everyone on where the executive stands on the issue of ‘endo’ although it did not depart from the existing policy on contracting. But it should be noted that the President reiterated his call to end ’endo’ and illegal contractualization,” he said in a separate statement.

The Senate will push through with enacting a law that will end labor abuses and promote workers’ rights to security of tenure, Villanueva noted.

“Let me emphasize that addressing the abuses and ensuring compliance by businesses with labor standards and occupational safety and health (OSH) standards, through clear and fair legislation, is not anti-business,” he said.

Earlier, Villanueva said the committee is already finalizing the End of Endo Bill committee report for plenary discussion.

“We will release the committee report as soon as we finished circulating the draft to the senators for inputs. The President’s certification will definitely help in the passage of a new law governing endo,” he said. —VDS, GMA News