CEBU CITY, Cebu City (PIA) — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 7 facilitated the release of around P55.1 million worth of monetary awards to a total of 1,667 affected workers through the Single Entry Approach (SEnA) program in Central Visayas.
Starting this year, DOLE-7 through its SEnA Unit and field offices handled 1,862 requests for assistance (RFAs) disposing 1,828 and settling 1,435 requests.
In Cebu, the DOLE SEnA Unit handled and accommodated 1,511 RFAs settling 96.52 percent, of which 1,441 were RFAs, leading to some P47.3 million paid to 1,334 workers seeking assistance under the program.
In Negros Oriental, the Single Entry Assistance Officers (SEADOs) handled 227 RFAs, of which 190 were settled for an 89.20 percent settlement rate, with the field office awarding P6.2 million to 207 workers.
In Bohol, there were 90 workers who benefited from the monetary awards amounting to P1.1 million after its SEnA officers settled 87.65 percent or 71 of the 83 RFAs received and handled from January up to September 2024.
After the successful conduct of mandatory conferences in Siquijor, around 36 workers, who lodged their RFAs collectively, benefited from the P568,235.83 monetary awards.
This after the field office managed to settle 34 of the 41 RFAs received for an 85.93 percent settlement rate.
DOLE-7 puts emphasis on RFAs being settled as this would mean satisfying the needs and requirements of both parties involved in a non-adversarial manner where lawyers and fees do not come into the picture.
SEnA offers an accessible, speedy, impartial, and inexpensive settlement procedure of all labor and employment issues through a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation.
RFAs not settled within the 30-day period will be referred either to the National Labor Relations Commission Regional Arbitration Branch (NLRC RAB-7), or to DOLE for inspection or to a voluntary arbitration with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), two of the attached agencies of DOLE offering SEnA services. (HFG/PIA7 with reports from DOLE7)
