A TOTAL of 8,003 workers in the Western Visayas Region have been regularized, representing 53% of the 15,000 target, according to the local office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE-6). The breakdown per province is: 3,232 are in Negros Occidental, 2,333 in Iloilo;1,671 in Antique; 385 in Capiz; and 382 in Aklan. DOLE-6 Regional Director Johnson G. Cañete said this means they are on track with the program on ending labor-only contracting. At the same time, he appealed to business establishments to voluntarily regularize their workers. “They should submit to DoLE reports of their workers who were regularized so that they will be counted in 2018,” Mr. Cañete said. He added that consultations, orientations, and seminars on end-of-contract (endo) and other illegal work practices are also continuing. President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed an executive order last May 1, Labor Day, banning “illegal contracting” and “subcontracting” practices. — Louine Hope U. Conserva

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