DOLE assists 14T ex-rebels

CEBU, Philippines —  The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said the Department of Labor and Employment has assisted a total of 14,000 former rebels through DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP) for the first quarter of 2023.

Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres, Jr., executive director of the NTF-ELCAC, said that 4,810 former rebels were given livelihood aid under the Kabuhayan Program and 9,190 others were provided emergency employment under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program.

This developed as DOLE said, is committed to safeguarding the workers’ fundamental right to freedom of association while also fulfilling its role in the whole-of-nation approach to end local communist armed conflict.

This is DOLE’s message during the meeting with the NTF-ELCAC to establish a common understanding of freedom of association and DOLE’s role in implementing NTF-ELCAC activities, with a primary focus on labor education, livelihood training, and employment facilitation.

DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said the Department upholds its partnership with the NTF-ELCAC and recognizes its efforts in fulfilling its mandate to end local communist armed conflicts.

He assured the Department’s continued support to the NTF-ELCAC, specifically concerning its programs on labor education, livelihood training, and employment facilitation.

At the same time, Laguesma underscored the Department’s role in protecting and promoting labor rights.

The labor secretary said that DOLE plays an indispensable role in safeguarding and championing labor rights, including the fundamental right to freedom of association, a cornerstone for democratic and inclusive workspaces.

“From shaping policy and enforcing standards to promoting the welfare of workers, mediating labor disputes, and providing valuable education about rights and obligations, it forms the backbone of our workforce protection,” Laguesma said, citing International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87.

The Convention states that “workers and employers, without distinction whatsoever, shall have the right to establish and, subject only to the rules of the organization concerned, to join organizations of their choosing without previous authorization.”

Torres also identified areas of collaboration with the DOLE, such as the sustained initiative on the Barangay Development Program.

The said program aims for the rehabilitation and development of barangays formerly established as guerilla fronts through the provision of farm-to-market roads, school buildings, water and sanitation systems, health stations, livelihood projects, rural electrification, reconstruction, housing, vaccination and immunization, and other assistance.

Another area of collaboration identified by the NTF-ELCAC is the conduct of an information drive on labor laws, regulations, and other relevant issuances to capacitate the Joint Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

The NTF-ELCAC also sought the DOLE’s active participation and support to the different clusters and sub-clusters of which the Department is a member, such as the Basic Services Cluster; Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Empowerment Cluster; Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program and Amnesty Program Cluster.

The NTF-ELCAC was created to ensure efficient and effective implementation of the whole-of-nation approach for the attainment of inclusive and sustainable peace.