Labor Sec. Silvestre H. Bello III has issued Department Order 214, s. 2020 lifting the prescriptive period for the commencement of actions, claims, petitions, complaints, processes, and other proceedings before the Office of the Secretary and bureau and regional offices in all areas under community quarantine except in areas including the locality of residence of the complainant or petitioner and/or venue of the filing of the actions, claims, petitions, and complaints, that are still placed under enhanced and modified community quarantine or on hard or total lockdown.
Petitions, complaints, claims, and applications for registration and permits or renewal will be filed through the use of courier services, postal services, regional website, electronic mail and other digital platforms. In the event that petitions, complaints, claims, registrations, and permits or renewals are personally filed, the concerned office may accept the documents for appropriate action subject to observance of minimum health standards and protocols.
In areas under various classifications of community quarantine, except those under ECQ, MECQ, or hard/total lockdown, applications for labor contracting and subcontracting; permit to operate mechanical equipment and certificate of electrical wiring installation; alien employment, and license to operate private employment agency will be acted upon and processed in accordance with rules and regulations. Applications for renewal of registration, permit, certificate, or license which expired within the community quarantine shall be filed 30 working days from the expiration except in cases where the registration, permit, certificate or license expires during the ECQ, MECQ, or hard/total lockdown, in which cases the 30-day period to file the applications for renewal shall be reckoned from the lifting of the ECQ, MECQ, or hard/total lockdown.
For the registration and reporting requirements of Labor Organization and Worker’s Associations in areas under community quarantine regardless of classifications, applications will be filed through the Online Union Registration System, whenever applicable. In the event that applications for registration of labor organizations and workers associations are personally filed, the concerned office will accept the same for appropriate action subject to the observance of the minimum health standards and protocols.
Releasing of certificates of registration, permits, and licenses, may be by appointment or through courier or postal services while permits to operate mechanical equipment and certificate of electrical wiring installation may be through electronic mail and other digital platforms.
Conferences, hearings, and other proceedings will be conducted through digital platforms available to all parties. In case of non-availability of digital platforms, conferences and other proceedings may be conducted through conventional means.
In case of a party involving a large number of individuals or group, the individuals may elect a representative to minimize over-crowding in the conference or proceedings. Service of writs of execution shall proceed observing prescribed protocols.
Conduct of certification election and DOLE-supervised local election, it will be through the use of digital platforms as maybe agreed upon by the parties, or through conventional while for the conduct of inspection, in areas under community quarantine, the inspection of establishments for enforcement of labor standards, DO 174-17 registration, and other similar instances that require inspection of establishments shall proceed in accordance with a separate guideline to be issued by the DOLE secretary.
For more information on programs and services of DOLE, visit www.dole.gov.ph and car.dole.gov.ph.
April 27, 2024
