MANILA, Philippines – It may seem herculean, but the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) believes it can put an end to contractualization or the so-called “endo” scheme.

After launching a campaign against endo in July, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said DOLE was able to surpass its target.

“We targeted 30,000 workers by the end of the year. So far, we managed to accomplish 32,000 and 17,000 more contractual workers are expected to become regular,” Bello said.

The DOLE chief said one of the country’s largest fast-food outlets committed to regularize 17,000 of its employees by yearend.

“This is a huge improvement on the status of our workers.”

When he assumed office, Bello aimed to reduce by 50 percent the number of endo workers nationwide and putting an end to contractualization by 2017.

On Dec. 28, Bello issued a new DOLE Department Order prohibiting all commercial employers from engaging in labor sub-contracting.

Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say called on labor groups and other concerned sectors to give DOLE a chance to implement the new policy before criticizing it.

Labor officials said DOLE has no power to stop all forms of contractualization unless Congress enacts a law prohibiting endo.

Various labor groups have expressed opposition to the new policy which, they said, could worsen illegal contractual employment.

Alan Tanjusay, spokesman for the Associated Labor Union (ALU), expressed disappointment over DOLE’s refusal to end all forms of contractualization.

Tanjusay said DOLE’s new policy would create an army of seasonal and project-based workers.

He said DOLE prevented workers from getting a share of the improving national economy.

Unfulfilled promises

Tanjusay said the labor department under the Duterte administration remained incapable of protecting workers from abusive employers.

“Up to now, no DOLE official dared to break the archaic system of setting wages through the irresponsive regional wage boards,” he said.

“Filipino workers remain poor because of the current salary rates, which are not sufficient to sustain a family. DOLE is still under the dictate and control of the capitalists,” he said.

In early 2016, the regional wage boards in the country’s different regions granted salary increases to workers under their jurisdiction.

Workers are still pressing for an across-the-board and legislated P125 increase in their daily take-home pay.

Bello, upon the recommendation of Labor Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod, a former labor leader, ordered the wage boards to review the proposed P125 legislated wage hike.

He said the different wage boards concluded the grant of a legislated P125 wage hike is beyond their powers.

Maglunsod assured the public that the DOLE would exert all efforts to support measures seeking a legislated wage hike nationwide.

Though the DOLE failed to grant workers’ demand to end all forms of contractualization and grant a P125 legislated wage hike, Bello said much has improved in the past year.

“It would be difficult to say if year 2016 is good or bad for DOLE. What we can show you are figures,” he said.

Bello said there had been an increase in employment for this year, from 40 million to 43 million.

Firecracker shops

For workers’ safety and protection, Bello issued a nationwide work stoppage order on all companies engaged in the manufacture and sale of firecrackers.

The order stemmed from a series of explosions that killed several workers of firecracker companies in Bulacan.

Bello lifted the order on establishments found compliant with labor and safety regulations.

Firecracker companies in Bulacan and the Visayas have since resumed operations.

The Occupational Safety and Health Center, an attached agency of DOLE, trained this year over 36,000 workers of firecracker factories and other industries.

Overseas employment

For overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Bello said, the DOLE put up seven regional one-stop-shops and provided livelihood to distressed OFWs.

“The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration allocated P500 million to assist 11,000 stranded OFWs,” Bello said. “The OFWs were provided financial assistance and that is a major effort on the part of the government.”

Bello said OFW families from regions devastated by Typhoon Lawin received financial assistance from the government.

But if there is one program the DOLE is proud to have initiated this year, it’s the anti-corruption campaign.

“We are focused in our anti-corruption campaign. But you can only work against corruption if you are not corrupt,” Bello said.