THE Department of Labor and Employment–Davao Region (Dole-Davao) said 3,628 workers in the region recovered monetary claims or resolved workplace concerns in 2025 through the Single-Entry Approach (SEnA), down from 4,535 workers assisted in 2024.
Dole-Davao Regional Director Lawyer Randolf C. Pensoy said the SEnA program gives workers quick and fair access to justice without the burden of lengthy court cases, while also allowing employers to settle disputes peacefully.
"Our priority is to protect workers' rights while fostering harmonious and productive workplace relations in the Davao Region," Pensoy said.
SEnA is a mandatory 30-day conciliation and mediation mechanism designed to resolve labor concerns in a speedy, impartial, and low-cost manner. The program aims to prevent workplace issues from escalating into formal labor disputes or full-blown cases.
Institutionalized in 2013 through Republic Act No. 10396, SEnA strengthened conciliation and mediation as voluntary and effective means of resolving labor-related concerns while preserving workplace relationships.
Of the 3,628 workers assisted in 2025, Dole-Davao said 2,667 workers recovered monetary benefits, while 961 reached amicable settlements that included reinstatement and the issuance of certificates of employment.
Common issues brought before the program included nonpayment of 13th-month pay, unpaid final pay, wage-related concerns, separation and dismissal cases, labor standards violations, and personnel- and conduct-related matters.
Among the biggest cases was the release of P4.83 million in monetary claims to 75 delivery coordinators in Davao del Sur, covering their final and separation pay.
Another case involved an information technology head who served for 22 years in an agricultural company in Davao City. The worker filed a complaint after failing to receive service incentive leave commutation, 13th-month pay, and separation pay. His claim, worth P9.41 million, was the highest amount awarded to an individual under the program.
In 2024, Dole-Davao assisted 4,535 workers through SEnA, with 2,108 workers, or 46.5 percent, recovering monetary claims totaling P119.42 million. The office reported a 100 percent settlement rate for both monetary and nonmonetary disputes that year.
The department said it also settled P173 million worth of monetary claims for 2,081 workers in 2022, resolving 97.05 percent of the 2,099 requests for assistance filed that year.
At the national level, Dole reported that conciliation and mediation under SEnA resulted in monetary settlements totaling P8.34 billion for about 109,000 workers in 2025. RGP WITH REPORTS FROM PNA