Raffy Tulfo calls for DOLE unit to ensure BPO workplace safety

Senator Raffy Tulfo on Wednesday urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to establish a unit that would monitor business process outsourcing (BPO) firms’ compliance with workplace safety standards.

Tulfo made the recommendation after the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) flagged alleged occupational safety and health (OSH) violations by some BPO companies.

Some of the alleged OSH violations included reports that employees were allegedly forced to continue working during an earthquake in Cebu last year and alleged failure to conduct welfare checks on agents after a fire at a Manila office.

“Maganda mayroon tayong unit sa DOLE para mag-monitor sa mga BPO companies para ma-make sure na sumusunod sila sa safety standards,” Tulfo said in a hearing of the Senate labor committee on proposed bills for the welfare of BPO workers.

(It would be better if we have a dedicated unit in the DOLE that would monitor the compliance of BPO companies in our safety standards.)

The DOLE welcomed the suggestion, adding that the BPO Industry Tripartite Council currently serves as the platform where workers, employers, and the government sit together to craft policies for the sector.

Meanwhile, the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), the umbrella organization of BPO firms operating in the country, denied the allegations of OSH violations.

It said the supposed OSH violations found in the Cebu firms were limited to the lack of full-time physicians and nurses.

In October 2025, the BIEN filed a formal complaint with DOLE in relation to alleged labor and safety violations after BPO agents were allegedly forced to report to work during an earthquake in Cebu.

This led to the DOLE Regional Office 7 to halt the operations of a BPO company due to the lack of emergency and disaster plans. — JMA, GMA Integrated News