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2K C. Visayas workers get P44.6-M ‘awards’ under SEnA program

By John Rey Saavedra

January 27, 2023, 6:12 pm

<p><em>(PNA file photo)</em></p>

(PNA file photo)

CEBU CITY – Over 2,000 workers in Central Visayas benefited from the PHP44.6 million Single Entry Approach (SEnA) program of the Department of Labor (DOLE) for the whole year of 2022, an official said Friday.

DOLE-7 OIC-Regional Director Lilia A. Estillore said the benefits were an offshoot of the settled requests for assistance (RFAs) filed by the workers under the SEna program.

The months that registered the highest amount of monetary awards produced under SEnA included February with PHP5.6 million; November (PHP5.3 million); January (PHP4.9 million); September (PHP 4.3 million); and April (PHP4.2 million).

“These accomplishments are credited to the settled requests for assistance or RFAs that were received and handled by the different field offices and divisions of DOLE-7. We have our Single Entry Assistance Desk Officers or SEADOs, who ensure the disposition of RFAs received not later than the 30 calendar days process cycle time,” Estillore said.

Among the five field offices of DOLE-7, the Tri-City Field Office covering the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu, had the biggest amount awarded to workers at PHP19.3 million, benefiting 880 workers.

The Negros Oriental field office also awarded PHP10.7 million to 449 workers.

The Cebu Provincial field office (CPFO), for its part, has tallied 286 workers who benefited from the PHP7.6 million monetary awards.

Bohol posted a total of 333 workers who collectively awarded with PHP 6.5 million.

Over PHP422,000 were awarded to 35 affected workers in Siquijor.

Luchel Senarlo Taniza, DOLE-7 information officer, said a worker who would approach the public assistance desk officer (PADO) will be informed of the labor agency’s different procedures in filing their labor dispute against his or her employer.

“The PADO will explain to the worker the different procedures in filing a dispute against an employer. One of these procedures is SEnA. If a worker chooses SEnA, he or she will then be referred to the SEADO,” she told the Philippine News Agency.

The SEnA has been institutionalized with the passage of Republic Act 10396 or An Act Strengthening Conciliation-Mediation as a Voluntary Mode of Dispute Settlement for all Labor Cases, amending Article 228 of Presidential Decree 44 or the Labor Code of the Philippines.

Estillore said to incentivize the performance of SEADOs, the agency will recognize the best SEADO during the regular conduct of the DOLE Programs on Awards and Incentives for Services Excellence or DOLE PRAISE. (PNA)

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