LABOR Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma on Tuesday called on the department’s entire inspectorate to strengthen its role in enforcing labor laws and ensuring safe, fair, and decent workplaces for Filipino workers through more effective labor inspections.
Speaking at the Labor Inspection Summit attended by inspectors, government partners, and representatives from the labor sector, Laguesma outlined three key elements needed for the inspectorate to perform its duties effectively.
He identified the three factors as continuous upskilling, integrity, and institutional support.
According to him, these are essential in building trust and confidence among the social partners of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
“We should apply to ourselves the life-long learning. Let us do away with the band aid culture. We should go for what is really correct and appropriate to win the trust and support of our partners,” Laguesma said in Filipino.
He stressed that complacency has no place in public service, and that excellence must be the standard.
Laguesma also underscored that integrity should guide every inspector’s actions, serving as their “moral compass to act fairly and without fear or favor.” He also highlighted the importance of providing inspectors with sufficient logistical, institutional, and legal protection so they can perform their work “with confidence and independence.”
Laguesma reminded the inspectorate that the labor inspection system is not just a compliance mechanism, but a vital means of promoting fairness, justice, and respect in every workplace.
“You are the torchbearers of the law that Congress enacts and DOLE implements,” he said. “Inspection is not an end in itself—it is a means to ensure fairness, justice, and decency in every workplace. The success of any labor policy depends on your credibility and confidence.”
Laguesma cited the growing complexity of work arrangements, the need for stronger technical capabilities, and the modernization of inspection systems.
He said DOLE is implementing several initiatives to address these, including enhanced training programs, the adoption of a risk-based approach, and the full utilization of the Labor Inspection Management Information System.
With the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 81 on Labor Inspection now in effect, the Labor secretary reaffirmed DOLE’s commitment to ensure that inspectors are “adequately trained, well-resourced, and empowered to enter workplaces,” and that their authority to investigate and recommend corrective measures remains free from interference.
Laguesma also called on workers’ groups to continue educating and empowering their colleagues, and on employers to view compliance not merely as a legal obligation but as an expression of integrity and social responsibility.
