MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo R. Duterte called Monday for a compromise on labor contractualization, also called “endo,” as he admitted it would be difficult to force employers to abolish the practice completely.
“I don’t think that I can really give them all kasi hindi naman natin mapilit ‘yung mga kapitalista na … kung walang pera o ayaw nila o tamad (because we cannot force capitalists…if they don’t have money or if they’re lazy),” Duterte said during the inauguration of the newest shooting range of ARMSCOR Shooting Center, Incorporated in Davao City.
“Don’t make it hard for them to run the business the way they like it because that’s their money. So something of a compromise must be … maybe acceptable to everybody,” he added.
Duterte also pointed out that there were only a number of companies in the country that absorb human resources.
“But in other countries, be it Hong Kong, America, you work for a certain guy and if he does not like the quality that you produce, you get out, you get paid, separated and that’s it,” Duterte said.
“Ganun lang sana (It could have been like that) but because there are few businesses to absorb the human resource, kaya (that’s why) they want some radical changes,” he added.
Last February 7, Duterte also asked for more time to sign an executive order to abolish endo after meeting with labor groups in Malacañang.
“I was made to understand that he asked for more time to issue the executive order on endo,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said at a Palace briefing. “That’s all that I was informed by head of protocol.”
Duterte, he added, “is studying the matter more thoroughly.”
