Duterte hoping Congress would rectify vetoed provisions in anti-'endo' bill —Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte is hoping Congress would rectify the vetoed provisions of the security of tenure bill, Malacañang said Thursday.

"The President hopes that Congress would rectify the vetoed provisions as he remains committed to eradicating all forms of abusive employment practices and protecting the workers' right to security of tenure," acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said.

Andanar issued the statement after Senate President Vicente Sotto III, a vice presidential candidate in the upcoming elections, on Wednesday said contractualization persists because Duterte vetoed the bill that Congress has passed.

"While it is true that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte vetoed the Security of Tenure Bill in 2019, as mentioned by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, the Chief Executive explained that the version submitted by Congress 'unduly broadens the scope and definition of prohibited labor-only contracting, effectively proscribing forms of contractualization that are not particularly unfavorable to employees involved'," Andanar said.

The Security of Tenure bill eliminates subcontracting of labor, limits job contracting to licensed and specialized services, and treats project and seasonal employees as regular employees.

Several business groups had urged Duterte to veto the bill, claiming that signing it into law could lead to job losses and affect the economy.

In his statement, Andanar noted that in 2018, Duterte issued Executive Order No. 51 which strictly prohibits contracting or subcontracting undertaken to circumvent the worker’s right to security of tenure, self-organization and collective bargaining, and peaceful concerted activities.

Ending labor contractualization, or "endo," was among Duterte's campaign promise in 2016. —Llanesca T. Panti/KBK, GMA News