NO LESS than Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III has identified Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod as being the one behind the proposed P125 wage increase.
Speaking at the weekly press forum in Manila, Bello identified the “blind item” of Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) chair emeritus Donald Dee as the DOLE official pushing for a P125 across the board salary increase.
“That is wage increase na across-the-board na P125. Eh iyon ay personal niya. That is not the position of DOLE. It is not the position of the President,” said Bello.
He explained that while the P125 pay adjustment is Maglunsod’s own position, the DOLE is only concerned in increasing wages of workers but not necessarily at the same amount.
“Ang position ng gobyerno natin is we are into adjusting salaries. But this has to go through a long process. We have to consult all the stakeholders,” he explained.
On Tuesday, Dee assailed DOLE for being more concerned in advancing their personal “philosophical” advocacies than creating jobs for Filipinos.
In particular, Dee pointed at the DOLE’s push for the P125 daily wage hike across-the-board, which is already being deliberated by all Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs).
Bello, then, told Dee that the Department is similarly interested in creating jobs for Filipinos as it is also one of the agenda of the Duterte administration.
“I would agree with the stand of ECOP na dapat ang priority natin is job creation. So hindi naman namin sinasabi that it is not when we consider the salary adjustment. We are also looking into job creation and placement. Kasama iyon, we have to make sure na we have available jobs for our countrymen,” said the labor chief.
He noted how the Department is also concerned with jobs creation aside from addressing the problem of illegal contractualization work schemes and increasing the minimum wage of workers.
“What I can tell you is that in the Department of Labor, we have generated new employment. Nag-increase ng mga 12 percent. It is an increase. Malaki na iyon,” said Bello. (HDT/Sunnex)