MANILA – The Senate must first secure Malacañang’s commitment that the President will not veto the Security of Tenure bill so as not to waste time, effort, and resources in reviving the proposed measure, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said on Friday.
“We should secure Malacanang’s commitment that a new version of endo bill will not be vetoed. It will be a futile exercise to revive it without that commitment. The DOLE and NEDA should agree on one version,” Drilon said.
The measure is popularly called the anti-endo bill, denoting the practice of contractualization without elevating a worker’s status to regular employment with all its benefits under the law.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) have opposing views on the matter, the senator noted.
The bill approved by Congress, which was vetoed by President Rodrigo Duterte, essentially carried the Labor department’s position that differs from NEDA, Drilon noted.
Before the Senate tackles the measure and spends resources and time to revive the measure, it is more practical for Congress leaders to get from Cabinet secretaries—opposing the measure—the assurance that they will not stand in the way of the bill’s passage.
Senator Joel Villanueva, labor committee chairman, has refiled the bill but it is not included in the initial list of priority measures of Malacañang for the 18th Congress.
“I am less optimistic that an endo bill is possible without Congress getting Malacanang’s full support. Let’s face it, it is the President who holds the veto pen. Therefore, it is critical that for measures as important as the endo bill to pass, we must secure the full support of Malacañang,” Drilon said.
The speedy approval of the bill is possible because of its bipartisan support in the Senate.
“There is a bipartisan support for the anti-endo bill, so its passage is almost a guarantee insofar as the Senate is concerned. However, the question is: Will it be signed into law or will it suffer the same fate?” Drilon noted. (GMA News)
