THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) will set up a center in Metro Manila to deal with the employment concerns of retrenched workers, including those laid off from ABS-CBN Corp., the Palace said on Thursday.

In a briefing, Palace Spokesman Herminio L. Roque said a “one-stop shop” is being set up to aid all retrenched workers in the capital region, rendering many broadcast personnel redundant.

The plan for the center was put together by Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III.

“I have good news… so tinawagan ko si Secretary Bello. Magkakaroon siya ng one-stop shop center para sa NCR at sa ABS-CBN para makakapag-apply ang retrenched na empleyado ng ABS-CBN (I called up Secretary Bello. He will have a one-stop shop center for [workers from] the National Capital Region and ABS-CBN so those who were retrenched from ABS-CBN can apply),” he said.

Mr. Roque added that the Labor Secretary will also set up a job referral system to help match workers to potential jobs. A job fair is expected to be organized soon.

Last week, the House of Representatives denied the TV network’s franchise renewal, endangering the employment of over 11,000 employees.

In a statement on Wednesday, ABS-CBN said it was forced to start the layoff process after being rejected for a franchise, involving workers at the network and its subsidiaries. — Gillian M. Cortez

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