The Province of Camiguin has set a record for being the first in Mindanao to be declared as Labor Laws Compliant tourism destination, along with the Phividec Industrial

Estate in Misamis Oriental as the first also in Mindanao to be a Labor Laws Compliant Economic Zone.

The historic declaration, which further raised the bar of labor laws compliance system in the country, reverberated as Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz recently unveiled a marker mounted at the Benoni Port in the Municipality of Mahinog, Camiguin.

She also unveiled a similar marker declaring the Phividec Industrial Estate-Misamis Oriental (PIE-MO) as Labor Law-Compliant Eco Zone.

“This symbol of compliance assures foreign and local tourists and other visitors stepping ashore on this island that labor laws are being observed, hence, they can be guaranteed of optimum service. Passing the test of compliance with General Labor Standards (GLS) and Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) becomes an additional come-on for tourists, aside from the already distinct charm of this island as a tourist destination,” Baldoz said.

Baldoz commended the Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants, and Wholesale and Retail Industry Tripartite Councils in Camiguin which all have voluntary codes of good practices.

The DOLE Regional Office No. 10, headed by Director Raymundo G. Agravante, and DOLE Camiguin Provincial Head, Errol Natividad, led the evaluation of the establishments in the island tourist destination prior to the declaration.

“The DOLE ensured that voluntary compliance, both with General Labor Standards and Occupational Safety and Health, are fully in effect in these establishments, and this also includes being child labor-free, productivity-based

First in Mindanao: Baldoz declares Camiguin, Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental, as Labor Laws Compliant tourism hub, eco-zone

prime mover, and labor-management cooperation advocate,” Agravante said.

Apart from the declaration, Baldoz also awarded 30 companies in Camiguin with Certificates of Compliance with general labor standards and occupational safety and health standards.

Baldoz acknowledged the support of the local government units in helping the Department carry out the Labor Laws Compliance System (LLCS) campaign headed by Provincial Governor Jurdin Jesus M. Romualdo and the municipal mayors of Catarman, Guinsiliban, Mahinog, Mambajao, and Sagay.

Mambajao Mayor Maria Luisa Romualdo expressed both pride and pleasure of the declaration of Camiguin as labor laws compliant tourist destination, saying it will contribute to the development and progress of the province. “This marker tells everyone that we are not only capable of giving the correct wages and benefits, as mandated. It also attests that we are treating our employees right by providing them decent working conditions and competitive job opportunities,” she said.

Agravante also expressed joy in enabling the industries in Camiguin to uphold the culture of voluntary compliance. He emphasized that it is the goal of the Department to support the objectives outlined by President Benigno S. Aquino III, which is to help, lead, and make all companies in the region compliant with all labor laws.

“This is also an indicator that the DOLE Regional Office No. 10 continues to do better to align all its programs in providing a decent and productive employment for every Camiguiño,” Agravante added

Baldoz in the morning of 13 March declared the Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA)’ Phividec Industrial Estate-Misamis

(L) DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, joined by Governor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, unveils the marker declaring the Province of Camiguin as a Labor Laws Compliant tourism destination. At right, the Secretary, assisted by DOLE-RO 10 Regional Director Raymundo Agravante and PHIVIDEC Administrator Leo Tereso Magno, pulls the drape and uncovers the marker proclaiming PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate a Labor Laws Compliant Economic Zone.

Turn to page 4

PIA-

NM

pho

to

DOLE Good News

2 March 2015

The Labor Communications Office is open to receiving letters from readers expressing their views and comments, and/or suggestions on articles that appear on the DOLE Good News. Letters should be no more than a hundred words. Your letters will be published in succeeding issues of the DOLE Good News. Send your letters to:

Department of Labor and EmploymentLabor Communications Office6th Flr. DOLE Bldg. Muralla St. Intramuros, Manila

or e-mail us at dole_lco@yahoo.com/laborcommunications@gmail.com

If you believe in Good News,

tell us.

The DOLE Good News is published by the Department of Labor and Employment, with editorial office at the Labor Communications Office, 6th Floor, DOLE Building, Intramuros, Manila. The views expressed herein are those of the writers and/or their sources and do not necessarily reflect those of the DOLE’s or the Philippine Government’s.

Readers’ queries, comments, and suggestions are welcome. Mail or fax them in, or call us at telephone numbers 527-3000 loc. 621. Our fax number is 527-3446. You may also visit our website: www.dole.gov.ph; or e-mail us at dole_lco@yahoo.com or laborcommunications@gmail.com.

EditorNICON F. FAMERONAG

Director, LCO

Associate EditorCATHERINE MARIE E. VILLAFLORES

Staff WritersCELESTE T. MARING

HAZEL JOY T. GALAMAYMA. VERONICA R. ALMAZORA

Graphic ArtistGREGORIO I. GALMAN

PhotographerJOMAR S. LAGMAY

Circulation ManagerGIRLIE MARLYN E. ARCE

Contributing Regional Writers

DIANA JOYZ ESGUERRA - NCR

JULIENNE FORTUNATO - CAR

ARLY S. VALDEZ - Region 1

REGINALD B. ESTIOCO - Region 2

JEREMIAH M. BORJA - Region 3

FRANZ RAYMOND AQUINO - Region 4A

ROSEMARIE CAMPOS - Region 4B

RAYMOND P. ESCALANTE - Region 5

AMALIA N. JUDICPA - Region 6

LUCHEL TANIZA - Region 7

MELDY TABANAO - Region 8

GAY IRIS TANGCALAGAN - Region 9

MILDRED E. DABLIO - Region 10

SHERWIN B. MANUAL - Region 11

MICHELLE T. OLOG - Region 12

IRIS C. ASIS - Caraga

DOLEGood News

VERSEAS CORNER

As far as the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Singapore is concerned, the POLO is on-track in

inaugurating its first OFW skills assessment and certification on-site that Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has ordered in December 2014.

“We are drumming up our information and advocacy drive for OFWs in Singapore to apply and undergo skills assessment,” said Labor Attache Vicente Cabe in a report to the Secretary. “So far, 76 OFWs have already applied for the skills assessment,” he added.

Labor Attache Cabe said he will forward the application forms to Executive Director Maria Susan P. Dela Rama of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s Certification Office.

In his report, Labor Attache Cabe also said the POLO had visited six training centres in Singapore to orient their volunteers and students on the onsite skills assessment and certification program.

“There are other application forms we have not collected and we will collect them for endorsement to TESDA. At the moment, we are preparing for additional orientation in other identified training centers. We will use the Bayanihan Centre as the venue of the first assessment on the last Sunday of April,” Cabe said.

Meanwhile, Director Dela Rama had reported to the Secretary that in her recent trip to attend a UNESCO conference in France, she also visited the POLOs in Milan and Rome and conducted an ‘ocular observation’ of their training and oriented them on TESDA regulations.

79 OFWs already applied for onsite skills certification and assessment

POLO Singapore prepares for on-site skills assessment and certification; other POLOs hectic in preparation—Baldoz

She also reported that in Hong Kong, Labor Attache Nenette Garcia is doing a lot of coordination activities with the TESDA in preparation for the onsite skills assessment and certification for Hong OFWs.

“The TESDA has already an online TESDA program on housekeeping in Hong Kong, and some of our OFWs have only good things to say about its accessibility and its being cost-free, but we will bring it there onsite following the Secretary’s instruction,” Dela Rama said.

“In Taiwan, the TESDA is preparing for a visit to Taipei whose POLO had already

sent us its training course outline for review. We have already received instruction to help and revise the training curricula to align them with TESDA training regulations. The same is true with Qatar and Oman. The POLOs in these countries have already sent us their requests,” added Dela Rama.

In Dubai where Secretary Baldoz was present during the first onsite skills assessment and certification of 102 OFWs in November last year, LaborAttacheDelmer Cruz said the POLO has already selected OFW holders of National Certificates who will be acting as trainers and assessors. He said the POLO has already conducted an online (Skype) orientation on the TESDA’s Trainers Methodology.

“All these should be in place by the first half of this year,” Labor Attache Cruz reported.

In December 2014 during the POLO conference in Manila, Secretary Baldoz has directed all POLOs to align all their skills training programs with TESDA training regulations and standards and to conduct skills assessment and certification in their countries of assignments to provide OFWs with skills sets needed by industries and compatible with global standards.

“It is different when one is certified. It means a worker’s skills are at par with global standards and that makes one more employable,” Baldoz said.

“With our onsite skills assessment and certification program, there is no more need for OFWs who would like to get their skills assessed and certified by spending money and time doing that in the Philippines. They can use their vacation time to be with their families,” she said.

“The Singapore POLO is on track in our first on-site OFW

skills assessment and certification and we are drumming up our

information and advocacy drive for OFWs to apply and undergo skills

assessment.”

— Labor Attache Vicente Cabe

DOLE Good News

3March 2015

Clients in the second semester of 2014 expressed general satisfaction on the quality

of DOLE’s services delivered, and their satisfaction was also high for physical facilities, but Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz insisted on more improvements.

“We have to live daily by our continuing quest for ex-cellence. Excellence is do-ing ordinary things the ex-tra-ordinary way,” she said after she received the report of DOLE Undersecertary Rebecca Chato on the second-half of 2014’s implementation of R.A. 9485, or the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) of 2007. Chato’s report in-cluded results of the Citizen’s Feed-back required by the ARTA.

In her report, U n d e r s e c r e t a r y Chato said client satisfacton, as a component of good governance, has always been the primary focus of the DOLE in the delivery of frontline programs and services.

“We measure such to allow the Department to understand and determine where to take actions to improve service delivery,” she said.

In the DOLE Central Office, it is the Financial and Management Service that is tasked to continuosly monitor and analyze the results of the Citizen’s Feedback, which are forms that reflect comments, responses, and sentiments of the public transacting official business with the DOLE.

On DOLE Central Office’s ARTA implementationClients satisfied with quality of services and facilities, but Baldoz asks for more improvements

For the second half of 2014, the FMS identified the following areas or “drivers” of satisfaction that the transacting public rated in the Citizen’s Feedback forms: problem/inquiry was solved/answered; problem/inquiry was promptly attended to; problem/inquiry was courteously attended to; and complete information about inquiry

was provided.In these quality of services area,

and overwhelming majority, or 80 percent, of the clients said their problem/inquiry was solved; 76 percent said their problem/inquiry was promptly attended

to; 72 percent said their p r o b l e m / i n q u i r y was courteously attended to; and 76 percent said they obtained complete information about their inquiry when they transacted business with the

Central Office.On the quality of

facilities, the identi-fied ar-

eas or “drivers” of satisfaction that the transacting public rated were the follow-ing: signage, receiving area, cleanliness and orderliness, and restroom.

An overwhelming majority, or 80 percent, expressed satisfaction on DOLE signages; 80 percent also expressed satisfaction on the receiving areas and on the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities. However, only 76 percent were satisfied with the restrooms, with one client commenting on the lack of a restroom at the Public Assistance and Complaints Unit.

One client also made the following observation: “I am an OFW and underpaid. Government assistance is made through institutions, and the amounts extended are small that this could not even meet my needs. This is maybe due to our level of economic development. I suggest we elect a new Office of the Secretary for OFWs.”

Secretary Baldoz said that since the law took effect, the DOLE in the Central Office have embarked on ARTA initiatives and continues to monitor them, including the installation of an electronic billboard displaying the DOLE Citizen’s Charter during

office hours; regular updating of the Charter on the names and position titles of persons responsible, their addresses, and their contact details; availability of the Charter and the feedback forms in physical copies and on the DOLE website; installation and maintenance of dropboxes; regular gathering and recording of accomplished forms; manning of the PACU with frontline personnel

who observe the no-lunch-break policy; and maintenance of anti-fixer signage, DOLE vision-mission-performance pledge and copies of the Charter in designated areas.

“We have to live daily by our continuing quest for excellence. Excellence is doing ordinary things the extra-ordinary way.”

— Sec. Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz

4 March 2015

DOLE Good News

National Wages and Produc-tivity Commission Executive Director Criselda R. Sy and

Deputy Executive Director Jeanette T. Damo launched the sequel to the Let’s Talk Productivity segment entitled, “Let’s Share the PIE (Productivity, Innovation, and Enterprise Develop-ment) during the DOLE Flag Raising ceremony last 2 March 2015.

During the launch, Sy cascaded her learnings from the Singapore training. Being the first presenter of the new segment, she emphasized the possibilities of innovation. “There is no shortage of ideas and inventions in this world. The challenge is to introduce these successfully to a market; only then can the idea or invention be called an innovation,” she said.

Innovation and productivity were the central theme of the 30 March to 5 April 2014 training in Singapore attended by Sy together with 19 other senior officials from DOLE and other government agencies and social partners.

Her discussion focused on three areas where Singapore has demonstrated its excellence in introducing innovation, namely, transportation, water sustainability, and education.

NWPC launches sequel to “Let’s Share the PIE”

In the area of transportation, she cited the efficiency, speed, and connectivity of Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) with other forms of mass transport.

On water sustainability, innovation is introduced by recycling waste water from the sewage, making it potable for human consumption. It is also used by industries requiring high purity water. Singapore also built a catchment reservoir to augment water supply. She added that this is consistent with Singapore’s goal to provide simple and affordable solutions with social and environmental impacts.

In her presentation, she also stressed the vital role of education in the

transformation of Singapore into a highly competitive and developed country. Since its independence, education has been a priority of Singapore, recognizing its dependence solely on its human resource and manpower capability and virtual lack of natural resources.

As an illustration, she cited Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) as an “innovative polytechnic”. The Teaching Factory Concept, as NYP’s hallmark of innovation, adopts a practice-and-application-oriented training approach that combines the learning and working environment from which realistic and relevant learning experiences are realized. This concept facilitates effective learning in the implementation of broad-based curricula in the first two years and specialist studies in the final year.

She closed her presentation by emphasizing that achieving productivity and innovation is a journey which begins with awareness leading to action, and finally ownership.

Prior to her presentation, Director Damo summarized the re-entry programs and commitments of the participants to the Singapore training (Phase 1). (J. P. Lucas)

NWPC Exec. Dir. Criselda Sy explains the “Let’s Share the PIE” concept during the flag raising ceremony at the DOLE in Intramuros.

Oriental (PIE-MO) as Labor Law-Compliant Eco Zone, another first to be awarded in Mindanao.

The Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA) is a government-owned and controlled corporation mandated to identify and develop sites in the country as prospective industrial areas. Phividec equips these areas with the necessary infrastructures to encourage the inflow of domestic and foreign investments. The development of these sites is in accordance with the Philippine government’s policy to disperse industries to the countryside as a means of equitably distributing resources, and as a vehicle to catalyse and sustain social and economic development in the Philippines.

At present, Phividec manages, administers, and supervises the 3,000-hectare Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental (PIE-MO). PIE-MO is located in the Municipality of Tagoloan and Villanueva, Misamis Oriental. The PIE-MO is one of the largest industrial estates in the Philippines.

One of the biggest infrastructures inside the PIE-MO is the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT). The MCT caters containerized cargoes both destined for domestic and international markets.

“Phividec Industrial Estate’s 76 locators and service providers are now certified compliant with general labor standards, occupational safety and health standards, and labor relations.

The Certificate of Compliance has a validity of two years and exempt establishments from the DOLE’s annual assessment. This also means that the 3,177 workers in the Industrial Estate have been provided with, and are enjoying their rights and benefits in accordance with our labor laws. And being a labor laws compliant eco-zone, Phividec will continually be provided by DOLE with free technical assistance to maintain its status through the DOLE’s toolbox of programs and services,” Baldoz further said.

The DOLE Regional Office No. 10 officialdom led by Agravante, together with Atheneus A. Vasallo, Chief of the Technical Support Services Division (TSSD), and the Labor Law Compliance Officers (LLCOs), appraised the members and officers of the PIE-MO and PIA, headed by Atty. Ella Boiser, external Vice President; and Mr. Dante F. Clarito, manager of PIA port management, about the LLCS assessment and sustainability of its accreditation. Some 25 companies and contractors in the eco zone also signified their support to the LLCS.

The National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB-X), Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) and the Occupational Safety and Health Network (OSHNet) also shared their programs and compliance systems to the Estate’s management and stakeholders. (GSR with reports from Glenford Labial/DOLE RO 10, and Dean Macalaguing, DOLE RO 10 Eastern Misamis Oriental PFO)

First in Mindanao . . . from page 1

DOLE Good News

5March 2015

DOLE Good News

Who remembers Ronald Niñofranco? The DOLE does. The 17-year old, whom the DOLE Regional Office No. 6 plucked from

hazardous child labor in 2012 is now a grown-up—and a child laborer no more.

The happy news is that he is on his way to making a future better than what he was three years ago—a sacada doing the hazardous work of harvesting sugarcane for destitute wages.

The other day, Ronald had an unexpected reunion with the woman leader who had engineered his transformation. He met with Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz during the latter’s official visit to Boracay for the ceremony declaring the famous island-resort a labor laws-compliant tourist destination. Baldoz, upon seeing Ronald, expressed delight that the skinny 17-year old she first met in 2012 has become more cheerful and a hopeful youth.

Ronald is in Boracay because the DOLE regional office, headed by Regional Director Ponciano Ligutom, had found him a job, as linen attendant at the famous Boracay Regency Hotel.

“I have been promoted,” Ronald said shyly in an interview.

The second of four children, Ronald dropped out of school to help earn for the family. He joined a group of sacada workers to Negros Occidental during the start of the milling season in 2011. He was then 17 years old and had just finished his first year in high school.

Life growing up in Brgy. Mamba, Madalag, Aklan, Ronald said, was very difficult. “My father was a sacada; the fathers of my friends in the neighborhood are all sacada. I was destined to be a sacada, if not for the DOLE,” he said.

Born and raised in Brgy. Mamba, Ronald said his growing up years meant working at a tender age to augment the family income.

“Hindi pa ako nakakarating ng Maynila, pero nakadaan na ako doon papunta sa Isabela at saTarlac upang magputol ng tubo. Ang hirap, kasi binabayaran lang kami ng P1,000 kada isang tonelada, tapos sampu kaming maghahati. Tatlong buwan ako sa Isabela at tatlong buwan ako sa Tarlac,” he narrated.

Ronald’s life had changed dramatically in an unexpected turn of fate. When Secretary Baldoz visited Brgy. Mamba on 5 October 2012 to launch the DOLE’s Child Labor-Free Barangay Project, Ronald was one of a hundred identified child laborers who took part in the activities undertaken by the DOLE regional office in convergence with the local government and other DOLE partners.

On the night before the visit, Ronald prepared a letter addressed to Secretary Baldoz. In it, he requested assistance that he be removed from being a sacada due to the difficulties he encountered as one.

He gave the letter personally to the Secretary who, upon reading it, directed Regional Director Ligutom to offer Ronald the chance to study any technical-vocational course under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Ronald was given a TESDA scholarship under the Special Program for the Employment of Students-Training for Work Scholarship Program (SPES-TWSP)--a convergence program of the DOLE and the TESDA. He enrolled in a housekeeping course at the Panay Technological College, a TESDA-accredited school in Kalibo, Aklan.

“I was very happy and never thought that kind of opportunity will come my way. I was desperate with the kind of life I had, and I could not keep myself from dreaming that one day I could go back to school. That was the opportunity that I have been waiting for,” an ebullient Ronald said.

Ronald finished the course after two-and-a-half months. He passed the TESDA assessment for meeting the competency standards for housekeepers. On 9 February 2013, he got

his National Certificate II in Housekeeping. Shortly after, with the assistance of the regional office, he found a job at the Boracay Regency Resort and Convention Center, one of the premier resorts in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan. He began training on 10 March 2013 as housekeeping staff at the said hotel.

Ronald could not contain his happiness, expressing gratitude to the DOLE for the opportunity. From an area cleaner, Ronald, through sheer hard work, has become a public receptionist and now a linen attendant.

“I have started to renovate our house and I am sending

Plucked from hazardous child labor through the efforts of the DOLE, Ronald performs his first job as housekeeping staff at a Boracay resort. He is now promoted as linen attendant.

Real transformation of a child laborer

Ronald Niñofranco, former sacada, now linen attendant, remembers his past and vows not to forget

Turn to page 7

DOLE Good News

6 March 2015

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved on 27 March 2015 a salary increase of P11.50 for minimum wage earners in Western Visayas.

RTWPB 6 Chairman and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Director Ponciano M. Ligutom disclosed that the increase was approved by members of the Board after a long process of consultation and deliberation by all concerned and by the members of the Board.

Ligutom said that the duly signed Wage Order will be sent to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) for review. Thereafter, it will be published in the newspaper of general consultation in the region.

Minimum wage earners in Region 6, particularly those in agriculture, are currently receiving P245 (for non-plantation) and P255 (for plantation) while those in non-agriculture, industrial and commercial sectors are getting P245 (for companies employing 10 workers and below) and P287 (for those employing more than 10 workers).

After the increase, non-plantation workers will receive P256.50 while plantation workers will get P266.50. On the other hand, workers in non-agriculture, commercial and industrial sectors will receive P256.50 and P298.50, respectively.

Ligutom said that this increase is a product of balancing act. “We tried to balance the interest of all sectors, not only of labor and management but

also of the investors who wish to invest in the Region. We tried to maintain the region’s competitiveness in attracting investors and retaining our workers,” Ligutom said.

He added that the board had considered a lot of factors before coming up with a consensus on such increase like the restoration in purchasing power of the peso and compliance of employers in the previous wage increase as well as the vibrant economy of Western Visayas. (A. N. Judicpa)

Western Visayas approves P11.50 increase in workers’ wages

When in Camiguin, follow the trend: Eat suman moronor P8 apiece, you can eat suman moron during your visit to Camiguin. And when you leave, you can bring it as a

coming-home give-away¬ –pasalubong– at P100 per box, with one box containing 13 pieces of the delicious kakanin.”

This is Marichu A. Gulle’s tireless marketing pitch to customers of the Kasamahan ng Liping Pilipina-Balbagon Association, which has made the production and sale of suman moron a thriving enterprise for its 53 members.

Suman moron, inspired by the Visaya’s famous traditional delicacy, is a trend favorite among Camigueños.

“Now it has also become a hit among visitors to Camiguin,” says Ms. Gulle, president of Kalipi-Balbagon Association.

Kalipi-Balbagon Association, says Gulle, started off in 2007 with only 20 women members in Mambajao, Camiguin’s capital town.

“Initially, our members offer kakanin treats for different occasions, or special pasalubong for tourists coming to Camiguin.”

The rice-based delicacy became the association’s signature product in 2014 during Mambajao’s Charter Day celebration.

“It all started when Mayor Ma. Luisa D. Romualdo invited local food producers to showcase the town’s homegrown products during Mambajao’s Charter Day celebration. Kalipi-Balbagon Association decided to take part and our suman moron became the talk of the town,” Gulle said.

“F Gulle does not have a hidden trade secret in suman moron production.

“We use white and black glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk. After cooking, we roll and twirl the suman moron, alongside each other for black-and-white type (tinambiran), or singly, either white or black, then wrap the product in banana leaves. After this, we steam it, and that’s it. Suman moron comes in salty or sweet and is best eaten with cocoa milk or tableya, “ Ms. Gulle explained.

Suman moron production came to the notice of the DOLE Regional Office No. 10 in 2014 while it was looking for viable livelihoods that can be assisted under the DOLE’s Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, or DILEEP.

“We discovered that suman moron is very popular and can become a sustainable livelihood. Based on our observation, the delicacy was selling briskly, particularly the ones made by Kalipi-Balbagon Association, “ said Raymundo G. Agravante, DOLE regional chief.

In September 2014, the DOLE regional office cobbled together the convergence support of the municipality of Mambajao,

Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Trade and Industry by conducting a training for the members of Kalipi-Balbagon Association on new techniques in suman moron production and packaging, and benchmarking the association with other food handling providers of the same product.

Immediately after the training, the DOLE released P100,000 to the association for its suman moron business, using the Manbajao Water District Workers’ Association, a DOLE accredited co-partner (ACP), as conduit. The financial livelihood assistance was under the DILEEP.

The rest, as they say, was history. With the livelihood assistance, the association was able to ‘modernize’ and, thus, increase its production and sales. So popular was suman moron has become that Camiguin visitors say that a trip to Mambajao will never be complete without a taste of its suman moron.

“Soon, Mambajao, through the Kalipi-Balbagon Association, will become the suman moron capital of the Province of Camiguin. We plan to distribute high-quality suman moron, first, to the whole of Northern Mindanao, and finally to the country,” Ms. Gulle confidently beamed.

She might just be right. Last February, the Kalipi-Balbagon Association, which has now 53 members, received unexpected visitors when a group composed of 70 people coming from different barangays of Vigan City benchmarked with the Association and said its suman moron was “the best suman moron they ever had tasted”.

“We are really thankful to the DOLE and its partners for their help. Today, we are preparing a project enhancement proposal for us to acquire more sets of production equipment, such as coconut grater, coconut extractor, steamer, heavy duty stove, large woks, and a motorcycle vehicle for the delivery,” she said. (Glenford Labial)

DOLE Good News

7March 2015

DOLE-OSHC trains LGU officials on construction safety

Malay Mayor John Yap and Secretary Baldoz unveil the marker declaring Boracay a Labor Law Compliant tourist destination.

Ronald . . . from page 5

ogether with the Occupational Safety and Health Networks, we have already commenced the Construction Safety Training for LGU officials as

instructed by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz,” said OSHC Executive Director Ma. Teresita S. Cucueco, MD, CESO III.

35 out of 48 government offices sent their representatives to attend the 40-hour mandatory Construction Safety Training (CST) conducted jointly by the OSHC and the OSHNET in Cebu on March 16 to 20, 2015. On the other hand, representatives from 14 government offices attended the CST held in Dumaguete on March 23 to 27, 2015. LGU officials from NCR and Regions III and IV-A are expected to attend the CST to be conducted at the OSHC main office in Quezon City on April 13-17, 2015.

“We will continue to conduct the CST for LGUs all over the country and involve them in all our efforts to curb the rise of accidents in the construction industry. We have asked representatives from the LGUs to join us in the Safety Patrol.”

The CST is mandatory for all safety officers in the construction industry. As required by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards and DOLE Department Order 13, a sufficient number of trained safety officers must be employed by all construction companies.

This requirement is reinforced by the Memorandum of Agreement – Joint Administrative Order on Construction Safety signed by the DOLE, Professional Regulation Commission, and the Departments of Public Works and Highways, Interior and Local Government, and Trade and Industry (Construction Manpower Development Foundation, Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board) in 2011. Under the MOA-JAO, Authorized Managing Officers (AMOs) are also required to complete the CST before they can be issued a contractor’s license.

The accomplishments of signatory agencies under the MOA-JAO were reported during the LGU Summit conducted by the OSHC on February 18, 2015. One of the key agreements was for the LGU personnel to attend the CST. (DJ Romero)

“T

The OSHC regularly conducts mandatory Construction Safety Training to curb construction accidents.

my brothers to school. I send money to my father and mother through the Palawan Pawnshop.

During the interview, his phone rang and he scrambled to fish it out of his pocket, in the process revealing he has two mobile phones.

“I have just finished paying off a long-time P8,000 debt of my father and mother. I have also bought a cow worth P7,000, which he said his father is fattening for sale later.

Ronald now earns more than the minimum wage because he had acquired useful skills in his work.

“As a linen attendant, I am now skilled in making up the beds at the hotel regardless of their sizes. I am happy in my work because I have so many friends now,” he said.

Asked if he intends to continue his studies, he said yes but not now because my work is full time.

I will just first help my brothers and sisters and then I will see what happens. He said though he plans to complete the renovation of their house in Brgy. Mamba.

“Please persevere more,” Baldoz told Ronald, whom she called “anak”. She again instructed Ligutom to have Ronald’s skills as linen attendant assessed and evaluated if he can be given a higher certificate which he can use to qualify for a higher position at the hotel.

Ronald, like many other child laborers whose lives the DOLE has transformed through its Child Labor-Free Barangay Project, has faced life’s difficulties at such a young age, but he remained strong for the sake of his family and future. His steely resolve to change the course of his life enabled him overcome all the obstacles and succeeded.

Asked what makes him sad, Ronald, without hesitation said: “Yung pagiging sacada ko. Hindi ko makakalimutan ‘yun.” (Nicon F. Fameronag, with a report by Amalia N. Judicpa)

All her hard work paid off. The long wait is over and the big day has finally come for Marjorie Rafinan of Paknaan, Mandaue City, a Workers’ Organization

Development Program (WODP) scholar of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Brimming with joy and pride, Marjorie is among the one thousand two hundred (1,200) graduates who got their diploma during the 100th Commencement Exercises of the Cebu Technological University (CTU).

“I never thought I could go to college and earn a degree. Now here I am, holding my diploma. This is a dream come true and I could never have achieved this without the DOLE’s help,” she said.

The eldest in the family and daughter to a single parent, she always knew she had to study hard and eventually find a job to help augment her mother’s meager income.

“I’ve seen the sacrifices my mother made and the pains she had to endure as a factory worker. We all know that her income is not enough to send the three of us to school much more to college,” said Marjorie. She added that when they learned about the WODP scholarship of the DOLE, they found some hope and their dreams started anew.

“I remember it was Director Sarcauga who interviewed me before I took the examinations. I did not expect to get considered since there were a lot of smart candidates around. Luckily, I was chosen. God indeed is miraculous,” recounted Marjorie.

Her mother, Marites Sumalpong is a member of the Sunpride Foods Inc. Workers’ Union and that qualified her to avail of said program. DOLE 7 OIC Regional Director Exequiel R. Sarcauga said that the grant of WODP is extended not only to the workers who are members of union or workers’

DOLE’s WODP scholar is now a degree holder

organizations but also to their dependents. “This initiative is intentionally done to bring the programs and services of the DOLE closer to the workers of unionized companies and their families,” added Sarcauga.

According to him, strengthening trade unionism, empowerment of the workers, and promotion of sound labor-management relations are among the objectives of the WODP. He stated further that said program also targets to promote the capabilities of the workers’ organizations as active partners in national development.

Being a workers’ union member is not a bad thing as commonly perceived by many according to Maritess. Had it not been for her membership of their union, her daughter could not have availed of the DOLE’s WODP, she said. “Nagpasalamat mi ugdaku sa DOLE kay natabangan ang akong anak sa iyang pagtungha. Gani, tungod sa allowance nga iyang nadawat, iyaha pud kong gitabangan ug bayad sa mga balayranan sa kuryente ug tubig apil na ang pamlite sa iyang mga manghod (I thank the DOLE for the assistance it extended to my daughter. The allowance she received from the grant also helped us pay our bills and allot some amount which her siblings used for transportation fare),” she humbly said.

As a WODP scholar, Marjorie received five thousand five hundred pesos (P5, 500.00) for tuition, two thousand five hundred pesos (P2, 500.00) for book allowance, and three thousand pesos (P3, 000.00)for monthly allowance. For four years, she received a total of eleven thousand pesos (P11, 000) per semester until she finished her dream college degree on Bachelor of Arts in Travel Management.

“In behalf of the men and women of the DOLE 7, I would like to congratulate Marjorie for this great achievement. This is a big turning point of her life which will surely be instrumental for the endeavors she will take in the future,” said DOLE 7 Assistant Regional Director Joel M. Gonzales.

According to Gonzales, the scholarship grant of WODP is open to all deserving dependents of the workers’ union members, adding that applicants will have to go through a series of screenings, interviews, and exams in order to enjoy the benefits of said program. He stated further that come October, another WODP scholar is expected to graduate from another prestigious university in Cebu. “This is testament of the DOLE’s humble intention of changing the lives of the people it serves through its programs and services,” he finally said.

Equally proud and happy of Marjorie’s achievement is Sunpride Foods, Inc. Workers’ Union president, Mr. Jesus Luis Sesaldo. “Marjorie is the first WODP scholar from

our union. We are very happy to see her succeed. I welcome her to the real world of work and I hope that she will not forget her family,” said Sesaldo.

Marjorie’s graduation marked the happiest day of their lives with their dreams and hopes all realized. “I feel so blessed that I was given the chance by the DOLE to avail the scholarship grant of WODP. I am very fortunate. Once upon a time, I just dreamed a dream. I did not even know where to go. Now, my dreams have come true. I could not thank the DOLE enough. This is my utang na loob to DOLE,” Marjorie finally remarked. (LSTaniza)

Above, Marjorie with her mother during her graduation. Right, with DOLE RO 7 Regional Director Exequiel Sarcauga.