DOLE’s Bello urged to resign

A Cebu-based labor group is asking Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III to step down from his post for failing to address the contractualization in the country.

More than 50 members of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) staged a protest outside DOLE-7 office yesterday morning as they called for Bello’s resignation.

The 30-minute protest yesterday was led by Teody Navea, chairman of BMP.

“It is very crucial if the one who leads the DOLE is biased and in favor of the capitalists,” Navea told reporters in an interview.

Navea is referring to Department Order (DO) 174 signed by Bello last March.

For BMP, the department order does not solve but continues the contractualization in the Philippines.

The order also prohibits labor-only contracting and other contractual arrangements.

Meanwhile during their protest, DOLE-7 director Elias Cayanong approached Navea and invited his group for a dialogue inside his office.

Navea refused. Instead, Cayanong requested him and his group to take shelter at the nearby building to avoid heat exposure.

“We don’t have a problem with the regional office since they are just following directives from the central office. Our concern is the national office,” Navea said.

Yesterday’s protest marked the start of BMP’s activities for the Labor Day celebration on Monday.

Navea said they will be joining other labor groups in Cebu, including the Cebu Labor Coalition (Celac), for Monday’s protest.

Metudio Belarmino, president of Celac, said they were hoping that their scheduled dialogue with Secretary Bello in Cebu next week will push through.

“The date is still being finalized but we are hopeful to meet him,” Belarmino said.

Concerns they want to raise include contractualization, D.O. 174 and abolition of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB-7).