DOLE disowns arbiters accused of extortion

The Department of Labor and Employment clarified reports yesterday that the two alleged labor arbiters arrested by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation for allegedly extorting P500,000 from the owner of a strike-hit car sales shop in Pasay City are not included in their list of arbiters.

In a letter sent to The STAR, Raul Aquino, acting chairman of the National Labor Relations Commission (NRLC) said that Wilfredo Santos, 58, of Juana, Binan, Laguna; and Darrow Odsey, of 93 Holy Ghost Extension, Baguio City; are neither employees nor labor arbiters of the NLRC, an attached agency of the DOLE.

However, Oscar Embido head of the NBI’s Intelligence Special Operations Division maintains that Santos and Odsey are labor arbiters assigned with the National Capital Region office of the NLRC. "They were assigned with the NLRC’s-NCR office and at the NLRC main office," Embido said.

National Conciliation and Mediation Board deputy director Reynaldo Ubalde said DOLE legal department was tasked to conduct its own probe on the arrest of the two labor arbiters.

Ubale said DOLE has asked the prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide the labor department with all the documents pertaining to the arrest.

While commending the NBI for its effort "to weed out corrupt officials from the government," NCMB chief Rico Olalia asked for a parallel probe to determine "all the issues surrounding the arrest."

Santos, Odsey and alleged labor leader Jaime Babon, 47, who claims to be the executive vice president of the Lakas Mangagawa Pilipinas based in Malabon, Metro Manila, were nabbed by NBI agents in Malate last Tuesday night.

The arrested suspects were later presented to reporters during a press conference at the NBI headquarters.

According to an investigation conducted by the NBI’s Intelligence Special Operations Division, some employees of the Benison Motors Corporation staged a strike last month without proper notice.

The NBI said the case was assigned to Santos for arbitration. According to Grace Yao, owner of the Benison Motors Corporation, Santos allegedly contacted her by telephone and allegedly demanded P500,000 in exchange for a favorable resolution of the labor row. – Mike Frialde and Majen Jaymalin