Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume 2, Number 49 January 19 - 25, 2003 Quezon City, Philippines |
In
the Hot Seat: Patricia
Sto. Tomas has been in government for a long time but has become controversial
since becoming labor secretary. Since last year, she has been the subject of
petitions for removal by various groups, from militant workers to overseas
Filipino workers (OFWs).
By
ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO She
immediately became controversial when she reportedly refused to implement a
Supreme Court decision that favored the workers in a labor-management dispute at
the Nestle plant in Cabuyao, Laguna. The
workers successfully petitioned the SC to allow retirement benefits to be
included in the CBA negotiations. When the management continued to refuse, the
workers went on strike, suffering various forms of harassment from company
guards and the police. According to Beltran, Sto. Tomas not only failed to
enforce the decision but even remained deaf on the issue of harassment. In
October last year, Bayan Muna Rep. Crispin Beltran accused Sto. Tomas of
accepting a bribe from Nestle Philippines. During a trip to Switzerland for a
labor conference in June 2001, the secretary enjoyed limousine services that
billed a total of 9,000 Swiss Francs or P316,000, courtesy of Nestle
Philippines. Using documents provided by the Nestle-Union Filipro Employees,
Beltran said that Nestle had paid for her chaffeur services and the Mercedes
Benz for a trip to Geneva and Milan and back from June 15 to 16, 2001. Beltran
stressed that her alleged acceptance of this bribe may have prejudiced her
handling of the labor dispute at Nestle Philippines. Other
Controversies The
Coalition for the Unity, Recognition, and Advancement of Government Employees
(Courage) and Migrante-International, an organization of government employees
and an alliance of overseas Filipinos, respectively, also have issues against
her. COURAGE
was among the organizations that launched a signature campaign calling for the
ouster of Sto. Tomas last July. It supported the employees of the Overseas
Workers' Welfare Administration (OWWA) in their opposition to the Labor
secretary's moves to merge it with the POEA, which COURAGE said would result in
a massive dislocation of employees of the two agencies all over the country. The
organization also criticized Administrative Order 287 issued by Sto. Tomas which
granted bigger Christmas bonuses to non-unionized employees of DoLE. Migrante
on the other hand denounced Sto. Tomas’ signing last May of a Philippine-Saudi
Arabian labor agreement which it described as "anti-OFW."
The
agreement contains provisions that reduced the wages of Saudi-based OFWs from
$200 to $130 monthly. By signing the agreement, she agreed in effect to Saudi
Arabia's position that "waivers" and "quit claims" signed by
OFWs in Saudi Arabia are legally binding, thereby preventing them from pressing
charges and petitioning for higher wages. Aside
from that, she also approved a proposal of the Saudi Arabian government to
declare illegal halfway houses established by non-government organizations for
OFWs in Saudi Arabia who ran away from their employers because of abuse or
non-payment of wages and for some reason could not be accommodated by the
Philippine embassy. In effect, Saudi-based OFWs who shelter "runaway"
fellow OFWs may be charged criminally. Her
Past Sto.
Tomas took her elementary education at the Kamuning Elementary School and her
secondary education at the Quirino High School. She finished her Bachelor of
Arts degree at the Far Eastern University (FEU). She earned her two master’s
degrees from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) and Harvard
University. She
began her career in government as a Senate clerk from 1964 to 1966. She then
served at the Dept. of Labor of Employment (DoLE) as chief of the Manpower
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