DOLE facilitates release of PHP2.5-M benefits to 173 ‘kasambahay’

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MANILA — Using the efficiency-tested Single Entry Approach (SEnA) conciliation-mediation mechanism, the Department of Labor and Employment has already facilitated the release of PHP2,565,397 worth of employment benefits to 173 Kasambahay since the inception of SEnA in 2013 and until the first quarter of 2015.

The 2015 first quarter settlement alone totaled PHP966,342.60.

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, citing the report of NCMB Executive Director Reynaldo R. Ubaldo, said the requests for assistance (RFA) filed included non-payments of salaries, back pay, overtime pay, 13th month pay, service incentive leave, medical incentive; underpayment of wages; and non-remittance of SSS, Philhealth, and Pag-Ibig benefits.

“For the January to March 2015, there were 404 new RFA filed,” said Ubaldo in his report. “Of this number, 61 or 15 percent were filed by “kasambahay” in the Philippines, while 343 were filed by household service workers (HSWs) abroad,” Ubaldo said in his report.

Adding the 61 new RFA filed to the 15 RFA carried over from 2014, Ubaldo said the NCMB and various DOLE regional offices handled a total of 91 RFA of local kasambahay during the period, 45 of which were promptly disposed of for a 59 percent disposition rate. Thirty-six of these 45 were settled, and eight were eventually withdrawn. Four were dropped due to lack of interest, and five were referred for compulsory handling — one to the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC); and four to the DOLE regional offices.

Only thirty-one of the 91 requests for assistance (RFA) are currently under conciliation-mediation process as of March 31. Twelve of them are in the NCMB and 19 are in the DOLE regional offices.

“We are also pleased to report to the Secretary that overseas, the POEA continuously ensures the well-being of our HSWs by attending to RFA filed through SEnA,” Ubaldo said. We have recorded a total of 645 RFA of household service workers during the period,” he added.

The referrals for assistance covered such issues as alleged maltreatment, non-payment of salaries, non-refund of travel expense, non-payment of medical assistance, and withholding of return travel documents.

Majority, or 470, of these 645 RFA remains pending at the end of the first quarter. One hundred seventy-five were disposed of, which registered a disposition rate of 27 percent with the following breakdown: 135 were settled, including 12 RFA withdrawn; 26 were dropped due to lack of interest; and 14 were referred for compulsory handling. The settlement rate was recorded at 21 per cent.

The Single Entry Approach (SeNA) is an administrative mechanism that provides speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement of all labor issues. Under the SEnA, conciliation-mediation is done by Single Entry Approach Desk Officers (SEADOs) who are trained to fast-track settlement of all referred labor and employment cases.

“Our conciliators and mediators work round the clock to ensure that the welfare of the workers and the concerns of the employers are both readily addressed. We mutually provide the parties with an accessible venue where just and fair resolution of issues are achieved,” Baldoz said.