TARLAC CITY -- The Joint Industrial Peace Concerns Office (Jipco) is neither anti-labor nor an instrument for intimidation and repression of labor rights.

Police Regional Office-Central Luzon Director Rhodel Sermonia emphasized this during the launching of Jipco in Tarlac on February 19.

"We have to know the relevance of this program because when we launched it last month, a lot from the left-leaning legal front organizations, critics of the government and maybe other industries who don't understand Jipco reacted negatively. Jipco was created to protect labor welfare and thriving industries without necessarily sacrificing industrial peace," he said.

It is a proactive effort to shield the workforce from radical labor organizations and prevent the infiltration of communist groups in the industrial zones of Central Luzon, he added.

"Jipco does not intend to suppress the rights of workers to form unions and labor associations. We want to prevent communist groups from enticing the workers to leave their workplaces and participate in the senseless armed struggle," Sermonia said.

Moreover, Jipco is a mechanism to pre-empt industrial crimes, insulate the labor force from the merits of illegal drug abuse, and prevent sexually-related abuses in the workplace.

"It will establish an office in every industrial zone manned by police personnel to address industrial crimes like pilferage, technical hijacking and smuggling," he noted.

In terms of counter-infiltration, Sermonia said the Philippine National Police will implement industrial peace clearance for those applying to work in the industrial zones and other manufacturing industries. (PIA)