Lawmaker slams Labor Department's growing focus on welfare programs

Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio of the ACT Teachers party voiced concerns during the House of Representatives' budget hearings, noting that the Department of Labor and Employment's assistance programs have received gradual budget increases that shift the agency's focus away from its core mandate.

During the committee of appropriations' deliberations on the labor agency's 2027 budget proposal, Tinio characterized the trend as transforming DOLE into an "ayuda agency"—a reference to the distribution of relief or assistance funds—rather than a department centered on employment generation and labor standards.

The lawmaker's criticism reflects broader legislative concerns about resource allocation within the labor department as it balances its traditional functions with expanding social protection responsibilities. The House committee's budget hearings provide lawmakers with the opportunity to scrutinize agency spending priorities before the final appropriations bill moves to a vote.

DOLE oversees employment programs, labor standards enforcement, and worker protections across the Philippines. The agency has increasingly administered government assistance programs in recent years, particularly during and after the pandemic period.