The Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization (PTGWO), the country’s biggest federation of labor unions and organizations, supported President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s retention of Bienvenido ‘Benny’ Laguesma as Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
“Sec. Benny has been exemplary in his performance as DOLE Secretary for the last 3 years. We wish to congratulate him for again earning the confidence of the President to continue to lead the DOLE,” said PTGWO national president lawyer Arnel Dolendo.
The PTGWO was listed by the Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR) and the DOLE as the labor federation with the highest individual membership.
Last June 3, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced that President Marcos did not accept the courtesy resignation of several cabinet secretaries, including Laguesma.
“We are glad that his Excellency, President Marcos, Jr., did not listen to the detractors of Sec. Benny. The negative aspersions cast against him are just preconceived bias, to say the least,” Dolendo said, noting that Laguesma has so far performed well in his job at DOLE.
“Truth is, Sec. Benny has been leading the DOLE well. We are delighted that President Marcos based his evaluation on actual performance, not detractions,” the lawyer added.
DOLE is the government department charged with promoting gainful employment opportunities and human resource development, protecting and promoting workers’ rights and welfare, and maintaining industrial peace.
Its vision under Laguesma is for every Filipino worker to attain full, decent and productive employment.
“We observed that DOLE as an institution strived for job generation with endeavors like internship, job fairs, emergency employment and even livelihood programs. These programs aim have low unemployment and underemployment rates,” Dolendo said.
“We concede that there is still so much work for the DOLE, especially concerning the employee’s rights to organize… We hope that Sec. Benny Laguesma would keep up the good work in leading the DOLE,” he added.
