FACT CHECK: Labor groups not shamed by signed EO on contractualization

Claim: The blog makephgreat.altervista published a story claiming labor groups who rallied on May 1, Labor Day, were put to shame when President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order (EO) on contractualization.

The blog post leads to a single video of Duterte’s speech at a Labor Day event in Cebu City with the title “PAHIYA ANG MGA RALIYISTA SA PAG PIRMA NI PRES. DU30 SA E.O LABAN SA ILLEGAL NA CONTRACTUALIZATION,” (Rallying labor groups put to shame by President Duterte’s signing of an E.O. against illegal contractualization). The video was posted by a Youtube account with the username “Food Capital”.

The story was posted 9 times by several Facebook pages, including two pages named President Rody Duterte-Federal Movement International, Alan Peter Cayetano Supporters International, President Rody Duterte Facebook Army, BongBong Marcos United, President Duterte Supporters, President Rodrigo R. Duterte-Protector of New Philippines, Marcos Loyalist, and Federal for Better Philippines. These pages have a combined following of over two million followers.

Rating: FALSE

The facts: While Duterte signed an EO on contractualization on Labor Day, labor groups who rallied at Mendiola said the order backed employers, not Filipino workers.

Labor groups were dismayed by the signed order, which was not the same one they prepared and negotiated with the labor department. The EO signed by Duterte did not include a key provision from the labor draft that would mandate the direct hiring of employees, which would effectively ”free contractual workers from labor slavery.”

Groups also condemned the action and felt as though “they were taken for a ride” by Duterte as negotiations on an order to end contractualization went on for over two years. (TIMELINE: Duterte’s promise to abolish endo) – with reports from Sofia Tomacruz/Rappler.com