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Advocates Philippines
DOTr Exec Pays Tribute To Rail Workers
Photo credit: PNR
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Railway Jeremy Regino recently cited the valuable role that the labor force plays in the country’s bid to achieve its socio-economic goals, particularly in transportation and infrastructure development.
In his keynote speech at a pre-Labor Day event attended by an audience which included diplomats, global labor leaders and legislators, Regino said the “country’s best asset remains to be its human resources”.
“No equipment, technology or artificial intelligence can replace the value that workers bring to development projects, as well as to the aspiration of a company or a country for growth and prosperity,” Regino said.
Regino lauded in particular the contribution of the more than 37,000 workers presently involved in the ongoing rail-based transportation projects of the country. He said the “quality of these projects and our ability to finish them on time are significantly based on the commitment and dedication of these members of the country’s labor force”.
“The success of the operation of these projects once completed will also depend largely on the support of the workers that will be employed by the projects and the enterprises they will spur in the near future,” Regino added.
These projects include the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR), the Metro Manila Subway, the various light rail transit projects in the National Capital Region, and the planned Mindanao Railway project. The NSCR project alone is expected to generate thousands of jobs for the country’s labor force during its construction and operation stages.
The projected number of jobs that will be created in areas where the railway system will pass has been boosted by President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s “Build Better More” program on infrastructure development.
“As the President’s program inspire the entry of more investments in areas where new and more modern railways will pass, we expect the number of future entrants into the work force to rapidly increase”, Regino said. Because of the job creation impact of the President’s infrastructure project, we will continue to witness the expansion of the vital role of our labor force in the country’s progress,” he added.
In the event organized by the global labor federation BW International, Regino also cited the “evolving role of trade unions in the world”. He said trade unions are transforming “into important partners of companies in progress and development”. He said, “while trade unions remain the vanguards in the protection of workers’ rights, they have become important partners in the pursuit of development goals”.
“Organized workers groups are proving to be our best communication link to the rank and file as they provide effective mechanisms to explain to their members where the organization is going and how they can help it get there,” Regino explained.
“They help the rank and file see the forest and not just the trees, to appreciate the whole situation and not just theirs alone,” he added.
“The approach today no longer just industrial relations, but industrial partnership,” Regino pointed out.
He added that the new approach of industrial partnership is being applied at the DOTr and in the previous government agencies which he had led, including the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
“In my stints in these agencies, we involved labor in the decision-making processes through their representatives,” Regino said. “This approach has helped us show them the real situation, to generate understanding and create a symbiotic relationship between labor and management,” he explained.
The BW International event was also graced by US Ambassador to the Philippines Mary Kay Clarson, Senator Risa Hontiveros, Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon, and representatives of the Asian Development Bank and the European Union.
In his keynote speech at a pre-Labor Day event attended by an audience which included diplomats, global labor leaders and legislators, Regino said the “country’s best asset remains to be its human resources”.
“No equipment, technology or artificial intelligence can replace the value that workers bring to development projects, as well as to the aspiration of a company or a country for growth and prosperity,” Regino said.
Regino lauded in particular the contribution of the more than 37,000 workers presently involved in the ongoing rail-based transportation projects of the country. He said the “quality of these projects and our ability to finish them on time are significantly based on the commitment and dedication of these members of the country’s labor force”.
“The success of the operation of these projects once completed will also depend largely on the support of the workers that will be employed by the projects and the enterprises they will spur in the near future,” Regino added.
These projects include the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR), the Metro Manila Subway, the various light rail transit projects in the National Capital Region, and the planned Mindanao Railway project. The NSCR project alone is expected to generate thousands of jobs for the country’s labor force during its construction and operation stages.
The projected number of jobs that will be created in areas where the railway system will pass has been boosted by President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s “Build Better More” program on infrastructure development.
“As the President’s program inspire the entry of more investments in areas where new and more modern railways will pass, we expect the number of future entrants into the work force to rapidly increase”, Regino said. Because of the job creation impact of the President’s infrastructure project, we will continue to witness the expansion of the vital role of our labor force in the country’s progress,” he added.
In the event organized by the global labor federation BW International, Regino also cited the “evolving role of trade unions in the world”. He said trade unions are transforming “into important partners of companies in progress and development”. He said, “while trade unions remain the vanguards in the protection of workers’ rights, they have become important partners in the pursuit of development goals”.
“Organized workers groups are proving to be our best communication link to the rank and file as they provide effective mechanisms to explain to their members where the organization is going and how they can help it get there,” Regino explained.
“They help the rank and file see the forest and not just the trees, to appreciate the whole situation and not just theirs alone,” he added.
“The approach today no longer just industrial relations, but industrial partnership,” Regino pointed out.
He added that the new approach of industrial partnership is being applied at the DOTr and in the previous government agencies which he had led, including the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
“In my stints in these agencies, we involved labor in the decision-making processes through their representatives,” Regino said. “This approach has helped us show them the real situation, to generate understanding and create a symbiotic relationship between labor and management,” he explained.
The BW International event was also graced by US Ambassador to the Philippines Mary Kay Clarson, Senator Risa Hontiveros, Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon, and representatives of the Asian Development Bank and the European Union.
May 1, 2024
