DAVAO City Councilor Pamela “Pameng” Librado has called for the drafting of comprehensive implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for an ordinance aimed at protecting city workers.
In a privilege speech on Tuesday, August 12, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod, Librado said the absence of detailed IRRs for City Ordinance No. 0585-21 — which created the City Workers Protection and Development Office (WPDO) under the Office of the City Mayor — has led to ambiguities in implementation, especially in guiding partner offices, agencies, unions, and labor associations.
Librado, who chairs the Committee on Labor and Employment Opportunities, stressed that a clear IRR would ensure the WPDO’s effective operation through uniform mechanisms and sustainable implementation.
She urged partner offices and agencies, including the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), City Mayor’s Office (CMO), Public Employment Service Office (Peso), Department of Education (DepEd), NGOs, and labor unions, to collaborate in drafting the IRR.
Librado also cited the lack of a comprehensive IRR for City Ordinance No. 0311-20, which institutionalized the Mag-Negosyo Ta, ‘Day! (MTD) program in Davao City, saying it has likewise resulted in unclear implementation.
Approving the IRRs for these ordinances, she said, would strengthen the city’s ability to uphold workers’ rights to self-organization, collective bargaining, security of tenure, and humane working conditions.
“I am firm in my belief that consultations and dialogue with trade union leaders and local workers are essential to bring to the fore workers’ concerns and issues,” she said.
City Ordinance No. 0585-21, passed on May 11, 2021, includes provisions for budget allocation, the creation and functions of Barangay Employment Desk Offices (BEDO), and the establishment of the WPDO. City Ordinance No. 0311-20, approved on July 21, 2020, provides mechanisms and funding for the MTD program. RGP