LABOR groups were up and arms after Malacañang recently announced that President Rodrigo Duterte will not issue an Executive Order (EO) to end contractualization.
Instead, the President will certify the measure as a priority bill.
However, due to the super majority in the Congress, it looks unfavorable to the labor sector.
This will further dwindle the hope of the contractual workers of getting the security of tenure bill through the Congress.
Labor leader Wennie Sancho said a bill against contractualizatuon will have a rough sailing in Congress and it will take time considering the powerful lobbying of the employers' group.
He said the delay will only prolong the agony of the contractual workers.
We agree. This is one of the campaign promises of the President during the 2016 elections.
Tenure of workers should be a priority as powerful employers would continue to deprive them of their rights.
The Palace earlier announced that Duterte is poised to ink the draft EO on Labor Day, May 1. But there seemed to be a change of heart.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the President had agreed with the proposal of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to leave the fate of contractual workers to Congress, the sole branch of government that can make amendments to the country's Labor Code that currently allows contractualization.
Whether the government like it or not, they need to address contractualization.
We hope sooner.