Joint SENTRO and LEARN Statement on the 2027 Government and DOLE Budget

For workers, the Philippines’ entry into the “middle income country” category earlier this year cannot be seriously believed until the fruits of economic development are felt by all Filipinos. The Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) and Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN) views the state budget as one instrument to measure if the government’s political and fiscal priorities are aligned with the needs of our people. Unfortunately, the government’s 2027 budget still reflects old political priorities by the ruling elite —- ayuda and pork barrel (under different names) for political dynasties and ambitious politicians, estimated to be P735 Billion of the 7.2 Trillion budget.

This is especially the case when we look into the budget of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). A breakdown of DOLE’s funding for 2027 reveals that it has become an ayuda department. 64% of DOLE’s total budget goes to Livelihood and Emergency Employment (TUPAD). Around PHP 16.7 billion is devoted to TUPAD, while funding for the arbitration of cases, labor laws compliance, resolution of appealed cases, and development of policies related to wages and productivity combined amounts to PHP 2.4 billion.

This budget exposes the wrong priorities. While we acknowledge that TUPAD is necessary, especially in times of great personal and national emergency, temporary measures cannot substitute for decent work. Why is it that DOLE is spending billions more for workers out of jobs rather than ensuring that workers have decent jobs in the first place?

The government of Marcos Jr., like that of Duterte and all others before them, is simply managing poverty instead of preventing the abuse and exploitation of workers. Worst, TUPAD is being used as another form of pork barrel. Billions go into assistance that can be distributed through political discretion, rather than building a robust, rights-based public employment program.

SENTRO and LEARN call for a transparent, accountable, and truly pro-worker DOLE and Government budget. Labor justice cannot be reduced to ayuda for desperate workers. The Department of Labor cannot be reduced to an agency handing out dole outs, while the institutions that can prevent rights violations, enforce labors standards, strengthen collective bargaining, and develop sound wage policies remain neglected.

There must be more funding for labor rights administration, labor inspection, labor standards enforcement, and the institutions responsible for labor justice. We call for a review of TUPAD’s design and implementation. This program must be a vehicle for genuine public employment — aligned with State industrial and development policy. It cannot be reduced to an aid program for trapos. Workers do not need a government that merely gives ayuda after our rights have been violated or neglected. We need a proactive government, and a competent DOLE, whose objective is the creation of decent and secure employment, not temporary measures. The 2027 budget must not be a budget for managing poverty and securing political loyalty. It must be a budget for labor justice, decent work, and an economy that works for the people.