Koronadal City, South Cotabato — Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr. has directed local government units across the province not to issue business permits to the manning agency contracted by pineapple producer and exporter Dole Philippines, Inc., after reports that the company has stopped hiring residents and instead brought in workers from other provinces.
Tamayo said he issued the directive following complaints that many job opportunities, including positions for professionals, were no longer being given to South Cotabato residents.
“Just yesterday, I met with Dole Philippines because almost all their employees—including professional positions and other opportunities—are no longer being given to residents of South Cotabato. Instead, they are hiring from other provinces,” Tamayo said during Monday’s convocation program.
(Kahapon lang, mineeting ko naman yung Dole Philippines dahil nga halos lahat ng employees nila, even professionals na mga opportunities ay hindi na nila binibigay sa South Cotabato. Kinukuha na nila from other provinces.)
The governor also accused the company of sidelining locally formed cooperatives and hiring a Manila-based cooperative to supply workers, noting that the firm had not secured business permits from the municipalities where it is operating.
“Aside from security and regular employees, even their job contractors and the cooperatives we established here in South Cotabato are no longer being prioritized. Instead, they contracted a cooperative from Manila, Red Dot, to deploy workers here without even securing a business permit,” the governor added.
(Maliban sa security, employees nila, pati na ang job con nila, iyong mga cooperatives na nabuo natin dito sa South Cotabato, hindi na rin nila pinarioty at kumuha sila ng isang cooperative sa Manila, Red Dot, para magdadala dito sa atin. Hindi naman kumuha ng business permit).
Tamayo said he planned to contact municipal officials in Polomolok, Tupi and Surallah and urged them to withhold business permits if the practice continues.
“I will call all the LGUs of Polomolok, Tupi, and Surallah because this agency is operating without securing a business permit. I have instructed these municipalities not to issue them a permit since the workers they are bringing in are not even from our province,” he said.
(Sabi ko nga tatawagan ko na ang lahat ng LGUs Polomolok, Tupi, at Surallah, dahil, nag-ooperate sila hindi kumuha ng business permit, hindi na rin magbibigay ng business permit iyong mga munisipyo na iyan, kasi ang problema hindi man sila taga-rito sa atin).
The governor linked the hiring changes to an incident in which a company security guard allegedly shot a child after reportedly stealing pineapples.
He added that the province would pursue measures to hold the company accountable for what he called unacceptable conduct toward residents.
“Let us find a way to make them feel that what they did to the child, and what they did to South Cotabato, is not acceptable to us,” he said.
(Gawan natin ito ng paraan na iparamdan natin sa kanila na iyong ginawa nila sa bata, iyong ginawa nila sa South Cotabato, hindi acceptable sa atin).
