Labor secretary Bienvenido Laguesma at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.
Despite the projected cuts in its 2026 budget following a similar trend from last year, labor secretary Bienvenido Laguesma is optimistic that the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) will still be able to fulfill its mandate of stabilizing the labor sector and promoting job opportunities and livelihood for most Filipinos.
Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum hosted by veteran journalist Marichu Villanueva at the historic Cafe Adriatico in Malate, Manila, Laguesma rationalized DoLE’s decreased budget as a necessary step by the national government to prioritize the allocation of funds to agencies that are at forefront of the country’s development program.
The secretary stressed that there are more important concerns that need to be looked into and focused on if the Philippines is to move forward in achieving a middle class economy status before President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. steps down as chief executive in 2028.
At the same time, the labor chief also expressed agreement in the appropriation of a bigger budget for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) since it is responsible for managing and supervising the country’s technical education and skills development programs to create a skilled workforce.
TESDA, he pointed out, needs the funds to integrate the government’s vzrious agencies that work with industry, labor and educational institutions that help in improving technical-vocational education and training (TVET).