MANILA – Over 1,000 workers in Eastern Visayas received monetary claims amounting to PHP15.6 million after successfully mediating their labor-related concerns through the Single-Entry Approach (SEnA).

The Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) regional office said 82 percent or 665 of the 812 requests for assistance (RFAs) filed last year under the SEnA program were resolved, higher than the prescribed target of 70 percent, according to a news release on Saturday.

SEnA is an administrative approach to provide a speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement procedure to prevent labor issues or conflicts from being full-blown disputes or actual labor cases.

The remaining 147 RFAs were either withdrawn or referred to the National Labor Relations Commission or other government offices.

The RFAs in 2021 were mostly on underpayment and non-payment of 13th month pay and holiday pay.

“I would like to commend all our SEADOs (Single-Entry Assistance Desk Officers) for really putting their hearts into the different programs of the department, particularly the SEnA program,” DOLE Regional Office 8 Director Henry John Jalbuena said.

Meanwhile, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III led the awarding of bicycles at the Cagayan State University – Andrews Campus gymnasium in Tuguegarao City on Friday.

The Free Bisikleta (FreeBis) project benefited 199 family members of workers of the Cagayan Valley Medical Center.

Each bicycle included a helmet, raincoat, thermal bag, water bottle, and PHP5,000 mobile phone load.

FreeBis is a continuing assistance for formal and informal sector workers affected by the pandemic. (PR)