DOLE to Launch Alliance with Bikol Media

LEGAZPI CITY, July 5 - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regional office in Bicol has announced the creation of an alliance with the local media here dubbed as DAMA-Bicol.

Alvin M. Villamor, DOLE-Bicol Regional Director said the DOLE & Media Alliance for Bicol codenamed "DAMA Bicol" is a pet project of the regional office that aims to improve the labor relations services of the office by forging a partnership with the tri-media in gathering labor complaints.

"Let's accept the fact that even if we want to, we cannot visit every establishment in Bikol. We only have about 13 inspectors covering the entire region and clearly it will not be enough. DAMA is our solution," Villamor explained.

The DAMA Project will give authority to radio, TV stations and other media outlets to receive labor complaints, whether anonymous or not, document it, and channel these complaints to the DOLE-Regional Office for appropriate action. Upon receiving the complaints, DOLE-Bicol will then send out an inspection team to the establishment for verification.

"This way, we will be saving on manpower and financial resources by going directly to the problematic establishment identified by the media rather than individually visiting each establishment like in a regular inspection. The response time will be much faster and the complaints will be accurate," Villamor said.

DAMA will also address DOLE-Bicol's stale-mate problem of having no complainant. Villamor relayed that in routine inspection, most of the time, the employees are hesitant to disclose information on their complaints or queries because of fear.

"The scenario is like this, we receive an anonymous complaint from the media, we go to the place then find nothing because the employees are afraid. With DAMA all this will be changed," Villamor said.

For checks and balances and to eliminate prank complaints, DOLE-Bicol will provide a Two-fold Uniform Complaint Sheet Query Form, a.k.a TUSOC-Q, which will be accomplished by the mediaman who received the compliant and counter-signed by the media outlet's station manager.

The TUSOC-Q form will contain the complaint details like cell phone number of complainants, establishment's name, major complaint/query, time the complaint was received and if possible, name of the complainant.

"This TUSOC-Q of the DAMA will be like a motu-propio of a wage increase," Villamor said.

The project is set to be launched on the second week of this month. (PNA)