Cotabato City DOLE-12 office now under BARMM's control

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The Bangsamoro government has taken over the field office here of the Department of Labor and Employment-12 as a consequence of the city’s having become part of the autonomous region.

Cotabato City got fused with the now 23-month Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao following the approval in January 2019 of the charter of BARMM, the Republic Act 11054, via a plebiscite in its 37 barangays and in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and in the cities of Marawi and Lamitan.

BARMM Labor Minister Romeo Sema said Saturday they have designated Dimaporo Diocolano, an engineer, as head of the former field office in Cotabato City of DOLE-12.

The symbolic takeover by the Bangsamoro regional government of DOLE-12’s field office in Cotabato City was held Monday, an event attended by senior BARMM officials and key members of the local business sector, religious and labor blocs.

Cotabato City originally belonged to Administrative Region 12 until the ratification via a plebiscite in 2019 of RA 11054, also known as the Bangsamoro Organic Law, that paved the way for the replacement of the 29-year Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with a more politically and administratively-empowered BARMM.

“We in the Ministry of Labor and Employment of BARMM are thankful to all officials of DOLE-12 for the smooth turnover to us of its field office in Cotabato City,” Sema said Saturday.

Sema said they are also focused now on the labor sector in the 63 barangays in different towns in North Cotabato, whose residents also voted for the inclusion of their villages into the core territory of the Bangsamoro region during the 2019 plebiscite.

The 63 barangays were originally under the jurisdiction of the DOLE-12 provincial office based in North Cotabato’s capital, Kidapawan City.

“Officials of DOLE-12 have assured to continue helping us promote the protection and welfare of the sectors in these 63 barangays and in Cotabato City that the BARMM government ought to serve,” Sema said.

The defunct ARMM had a labor department with only two service bureaus that did not cover Cotabato City.

Sema said unlike the erstwhile DOLE-ARMM, the MOLE-BARMM has four functional bureaus whose services include employment welfare and promotions, addressing concerns of overseas workers and to strengthen labor and employer relations.

“These bureaus shall serve stakeholders in all municipalities, cities and provinces in BARMM,” Sema said.

The infant BARMM government covers 116 municipalities, some still reeling off from the adverse effects of secessionist conflicts.