DOLE urged to fire erring field inspectors

Sen. Raffy Tulfo on Thursday, Sept. 4, warned Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma that he will move to defer the agency’s 2026 budget if it fails to improve performance and remove erring field inspectors who neglect their duties.

- By DHEL NAZARIO

Tulfo issued the warning during the Senate Committee on Labor hearing, where he serves as vice chairperson.

He revealed that many manufacturing companies in Camanava and Metro Manila, which he personally inspected, have been underpaying their workers, with some receiving as little as P280 per day.

“DOLE, wake up, taas nga tayo ng sahod, pero kulang naman sa implementation. Para tayong naglolokohan dito (DOLE, wake up, we may have raised wages, but the implementation is lacking. It feels like we’re just fooling ourselves here),” he said.