Why the president vetoed the Security of Tenure Bill

by Atty. Josephus Jimenez (The Freeman), Jul 30, 2019

The veto of the so-called “Security of Tenure Law” demonstrates that we have a leader willing to bite the bullet and tell the masses they are wrong, and what they demand isn’t good for them in the long run. Our president is not like a populist Pontius Pilate who washes his hands and lets the good guy be crucified by the maddening crowd just to please the bloodthirsty.

It wasn’t the business community that stopped Duterte from signing the bill into law. It was the team of technocrats, economic advisers, experts in the nuances and intricacies of the economy, men like Secretary Dominguez of Finance, Lopez of Trade, and Pernia of NEDA. A leader who isn’t myopic looks at the bigger picture and listens to his experts.

A leader who has political will is always prepared to be crucified for making hard decisions that, at first glance, may appear to hurt many people, but in the long run would be to their advantage. A leader doesn’t make decision on the basis of what’s popular but on what’s right. Duterte doesn’t need popularity. He has a lot of it already.

He doesn’t need accolades from people who are always burning his effigies. He is thinking of the whole nation, the bigger picture, and the far-reaching consequences of proposed laws crafted by politicians who want applause and political mileage sans any deeper reflection on what really matters most for the people.

After all is said and done, Duterte has spoken. The enrolled bill on the so-called “Security of Tenure Law”, as drafted and approved by both Houses of Congress, would do more harm than good. It wasn’t necessary and it wouldn’t be beneficial to the greater majority of our people.

Instead of helping our economy compete and survive in an increasingly harsh competitive global arena, the proposed legislation would virtually “kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.” It would disable the employers and deprive management of its inherent prerogatives and killed many medium- and small-scale enterprises which constitute our economy’s backbone.

If the labor sector will only listen to the arguments and not be led into prejudice and biases against the business sector, they would realize that in the ultimate analysis, it isn’t the law that assures the working class security of tenure. Even if we flood the whole legal systems with too many laws, if the economy goes down, if companies close, there is no law to stop them.

There is no job security law that can stop retrenchments and business closures, if it has become clear that investors are exasperated with our legal system.

No labor union or movement can force entrepreneurs and businessmen to continue operating when their capital is eroded or their investments confiscated by a government that destroys rather than helps make them viable. The law shouldn’t be a sword to slay the goose. When Duterte vetoed that bill, he was telling all of us that such a law would destroy us all, businessmen, workers, and government.