May 28,2012 DOLE Mandates Operators To Provide Minimum Wages To Drivers,Conducto rs By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte- The Dept. of Labor and Employment (DOLE) based on D ept. Orders no.18-A-S.2011 and no.118-12-S.2012 has now mandated operators/owner s of buses and vans to provide minimum wages to their respective drivers and con ductors. This was the disclosure of the newly-assigned DOLE region 8(Leyte and Samar) Director Exequiel R. Sarcauga during his recent visit here in this small city. He said an orientation of the DOs and its implementation was conducted on Apr il 25, 2012 in Tacloban where utility conveyances li e bus and van operators fro m Southern Leyte have attended. In order that the DOs will effectively be implemented, he said, DOLE has hire d 372 inspectors nationwide who would be examining malls, construction companies and bus/van operators for their LTFRB renewals, payrolls, proofs of remittances to SSS, PHILHEALTH, wor ers wor ing on holidays, among other related things per taining to the wor ers welfare. In a presscon held at DOLE-Maasin office in brgy.Combado, Sarcauga said that his visit was the first in Southern Leyte.His purpose is to let the people now his office programs, which are very important, particularly for the wor ers and the employers. He point out that the aforesaid DOs are now mandatory for the operators ovide their drivers and conductors the monthly minimum wages. When before and conductors have no clear or specific minimum salaries he said, with Os, the wor ers are now entitled to some benefits that they have failed to ve in the past years.

In the past li ewise, contractors were only required to pay a small amount fo r their registration, he said. But now a substantial amount is needed li e P25M, depending on the company, before a contractor could be registered, The P1M fee for contractors registration is no longer qualified, he stressed. Thi s is in order to eliminate fly-by-night contractors. The DOLE Regional Director also said that different malls and construction co mpanies are being monitored if they are DOLE-registered or are following the gui delines in their treatment of wor ers. Sarcauga further revealed that DOLE is now adapting a system called SEnA (Si ngle Entry Approach). He explained that in this ind of approach, aggrieved wor ers are advised to tal to their employers to achieve a peaceful or amicable set tlement on their complains. He said this is to avoid litigations or filing of cases which most of the ti me too long years to resolved. In this scheme many cases were easily settled wit hout going to the court. On the other hand, Fe Norma Valuis, DOLEs Southern Leyte head, announced that complainants or those who have some problems concerning Doles new laws or the im

to pr drivers the new D recei

plementation of DOLEs DOs can visit DOLE-SLFO at Gracel Bldg., F/F, Combado, Maas in City from Monday thru Friday. Furthermore, DOLE-SLFO has established various livelihood projects in Maasin, Macrohon, St.Bernard, Pintuyan, Libagon and Silago. Funded in the amount of P2, 668,162.00 the projects coverage are livelihood formation for informal sector wo r ers, small scale fishing for fisherfol s,fish and food vending, livelihood enh ancement for displaced wor ers, livelihood for underemployed informal sector wor ers, high value vegetable production for Puntana Women Natures Club and Nego-Kar t for women ambulant vendors.

As DOLE-Maasin record shows, the office has placed a total of 967 students as summer jobbers in different LGUs in Southern Leyte and in other participating a gencies li e the DPWH under the Special Program for the Employment of Students(S PES).It says that the figure represents around 88% or 1,094 of the total SPES Pl edges for CY 2012.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)