In the Hot Seat: 
Is the Labor Secretary Anti-Labor?

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 
Bulatlat.com

One of the beneficiaries of the People Power II uprising, Sto. Tomas was appointed labor secretary in 2001 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

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 Development and Utilization Division and later as administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) from 1977 to 1987. She was appointed assistant secretary of the Department of Education, but not long after she was reappointed at the DoLE. She became chair of the Civil Service Commission in 1988 and held the post until 1995. Bulatlat.com

We want to know what you think of this article.