Appeals Justice takes over labor post of Sto. Tomas, now DBP chief

After serving as labor secretary for the last five years, Patricia Sto. Tomas now becomes chairwoman of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). She begins in her new post on July 3. Court of Appeals Justice Arturo Brion succeeds Sto. Tomas as Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) secretary. Brion also previously served as undersecretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs, and helped prepare the electoral system for overseas Filipinos in 2004. Presidential spokesperson Ignacio Bunye, who made the double announcement on government-run radio dzRB Saturday, also remarked on Sto. Tomas' appointment that “The president thanks her for her contributions to the Cabinet. She has sustained industrial peace, and taken care of our overseas Filipino workers and maintained tripartite relations." But Bunye said Sto. Tomas will still have one major official act before leaving the labor department for the DBP--the signing of a memorandum of agreement with her counterpart in Spain. The memorandum will be signed during President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s visit to Spain on June 24, and will be the basis for a bilateral agreement in 2007 allowing the migration of Filipino workers to Spain, the presidential spokesperson explained. He said Sto. Tomas has been “very instrumental" in the release of imprisoned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia, and of hostaged OFWs Angelo dela Cruz and Roberto Tarongoy in Iraq. Sto. Tomas however has been under fire from different workers’ party-list solons who alleged she failed to uphold workers’ rights. Anakpawis party-list Rep. Crispin Beltran had previously said the labor department further turned “anti-worker" and “anti-poor" under Sto. Tomas. Beltran cited unfair labor practices and violation of rights of government employees to organize themselves, and union busting as acts that have been attributed to Sto. Tomas. Partido ng Manggagawa (Workers' Party) party-list Rep. Renato Magtubo had said the new labor secretary must be capable of disciplining his people, specifically those assigned to enforce labor standards. GMANews.TV