InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has ordered its regional offices to monitor the status of some plantation workers who could have been affected by China's decision to defer the importation of at least 1,500 containers of bananas from the Philippines.
DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Monday said that she had already instructed officials and staffers in the region to report workers who might be displaced because of the expected reduction in the operations of affected companies.
“We already have a team, which has been tasked to come out with possible transition program. We are also coordinating with other agencies in case we receive such a report,” Baldoz said in an interview with dzRH radio.
China decided to defer ordering bananas from the Philippines after it allegedly found pests in the imports. But Philippine exporters believe that the issue has something to do with the ongoing territorial dispute between China and the Philippines in South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
OTHER WORLD STORIES
