Mimaropa ‘endo’ workers ordered regularized

MANILA, Philippines — More contractual workers in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) will be regularized next year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported over the weekend.

An order to regularize close to 500 employees of a food company operating in the region was signed recently, according to DOLE-Mimaropa director Alvin Villamor.

He said the company and its contractors were ordered to provide benefits to 468 contractual employees, whose jobs are directly related to the nature of the firm‘s business.

The DOLE also ordered the company and its contractors to refund the employees P775,050 in unauthorized deductions as well as provide proof of remittances to the workers‘ Social Security System, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG accounts.

The order covers workers in the food company‘s three branches in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; five in Oriental Mindoro and one in Romblon.

Earlier, President Duterte vowed to abolish the practice of contractualization in the labor sector.