Gov't should fully support, not stifle NLRC to help cases of OFWs and local workers

The MIGRANTE Sectoral Party today criticized Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for further hampering local and overseas Filipino workers pursuing just compensation with her Executive Orders that intend to give clip the efforts of well-meaning officials in the labor portfolio.

"Being increasingly insecure and desperate due to her plummeting popularity ratings, President Macapagal-Arroyo is raising non-issues on National Labor Relations Commission Chairman Roy Señeres with the intent to clip his efforts in speeding up the resolution of cases of thousands of local workers and OFWs," MIGRANTE Sectoral Party Chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado.

Macapagal-Arroyo has branded Señeres a "destabilizer for allegedly seeking the US government's help to oust her."

"Macapagal-Arroyo is one paranoid person. Señeres is trying hard to get national government support to increase the budget of the NLRC due to the daily deluge of cases from local workers and OFWs whose rights have been violated. Due to in-fighting among government officials, the President issued Executive Orders 105 and 204 that do not in any way address the problems of slow resolution of thousands of cases at the NLRC," Bragas-Regalado said.

The said Executive Orders would transfer administrative supervision on the NLRC from Malacañang to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in an effort to "speed up disposition of cases."

"The NLRC receives some 50,000 cases annually. With only 100 labor arbiters nationwide due to the meager budget allocation to the NLRC, it would take at least two and a half years to resolve a money-claims case filed by an OFW. What the NLRC needs is a bigger budget to hire more arbiters and lawyers to attend to cases filed by workers. Executive Orders 105 and 204 do not address this glaring problem faced by distressed OFWs and local workers," Bragas-Regalado said.

With the issuance of the said Executive Orders, MIGRANTE accused Malacañang of "adding more powers to the anti-OFW Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas."

"Aside from not addressing the problems faced by OFWs due to the slow resolution of cases at the NLRC, the President is clearly favoring her hand-picked alter-ego at the DOLE in Sto. Tomas," Bragas-Regalado said.

MIGRANTE also pledged to lobby for "genuine reforms at the NLRC that would benefit both OFWs and local workers with regard to arbitration and resolution of cases."

"A lot of improvements are needed at the NLRC. Foremost are more labor arbiters and a bigger budget so that cases do not stagnate at the Commission. Pres. Arroyo should face the issue head-on and not submit to the intrigues of her own appointees in the bureaucracy," Bragas-Regalado concluded. #