A total of PHP29.1 million worth of monetary claims were awarded to more than 1,000 workers in Central Visayas who sought the help of the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Single-Entry Approach (SEnA) desk, an official said on Friday.

Lilia Estillore, director of DOLE 7 (Central Visayas), said the regional office and its field offices addressed 1,241 requests for assistance from January to June, a cumulative record, covering the outputs of the DOLE-7 SEnA Unit.

Estillore cited the Tri-City Field Office covering the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu for assisting 571 workers, who were able to get PHP16.7 million in claims.

In Cebu province, 280 workers collectively benefited from the PHP7.5 million in claims while 115 workers from Negros Oriental were awarded PHP3.5 million in settlement.

About 75 workers in Bohol have benefitted from the PHP943,000 claims while in Siquijor, 31 workers who sought SEnA intervention received more than PHP500,000.

“DOLE commits to resolve disputes involving labor and management through compulsory arbitration and alternative modes of dispute resolution, such as the SEnA,” Estillore said in a statement.

She explained that should the request for SEnA assistance not be settled within 30 days, the case would be referred either to the National Labor Relations Commission Regional Arbitration Branch, DOLE’s inspection, or voluntary arbitration.

“With the increasing number of people making use of the SEnA to address their work-related concerns, it means that public awareness about the program is improving,” she added.

SEnA was institutionalized under Republic Act 10396 on March 14, 2013.

In 2016, DOLE issued the Implementing Rules and Regulations through Department Order 151 series of 2016. (PNA)