Guv chairs TIPC anew

MAKE Bohol a haven not only for tourists but for investments, too. Gov. Erico Aumentado made this declaration Thursday as he assumed anew the chairmanship of the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (TIPC) vice Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Lim, represented by Vice Mayor Nuevas Tirol-Montes, in rites held at the Miravilla Resort in Booy District, Tagbilaran City.

TIPC-Bohol is the first nationwide to be chaired by a local official instead of the usual regional director concerned of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The governor and the city mayor take alternate one-year “terms”. In his acceptance speech, Aumentado said he intends to bring the gains of TIPC-Bohol one step further. “ Bohol is now the country's top tourist destination. But with industrial peace, the province can be an investment destination likewise,” he said. With the TIPC, Aumentado said there have been no strikes or lock-outs for the past several years now.

“Under the TIPC primer, our duty is to avoid industrial disputes between management and labor via the conference table before any misunderstanding erupts into a full-blown strike or a battle in court,” he said. He asked the Committee on Conciliation and Mediation headed by Jose Avergonzado to keep its ears to the ground. “It is best to detect early any brewing discontentment among laborers so that management can do something about it. The ‘worst' negotiation or collective bargaining agreement is always still the best compared to a strike or a lock-out,” said Aumentado, a known skilled negotiator.

Before the turnover, Montes and lawyer Rebecca Chato, director of DOLE's Bureau of Labor Relations signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to voluntarily settle labor disputes thru the TIPC. Chato said this is also a first in the country and she intends to replicate it in other regions.

Statistics

Avergonzado reported that as of December 2006, his committee has filed or handled 14 cases. Cases settled amicably with monetary consideration stand at three while those without money consideration stand at six. The amount of settlement was P9,000. One case was withdrawn. Another was dismissed because both parties did not appear. One case was referred to the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC). Only two cases were pending.

New BOD

The new members of the board are Avergonzado, Loreto Palapos, Lorenzo Bangcoy, Leoncia Millanar and Conrado Jo for management, Jason Lopena, Melchor Tangcawan, William Gamorot, Erlinda Lagrosa and Zandro Mortejo for labor and the provincial office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Bohol Investment Promotions Center (BIPC) and other departments listed in a Presidential issuance for government. The vice chairpersons are Avergonzado, Lopena and DILG. Wilson Cenas of DOLE- Bohol heads the secretariat while Director Misoro Salamera of PMI Colleges Bohol is the perennial treasurer.

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