The powerful bicameral Commission on Appointment (CA) confirmed today the appointment of Bienvenido Estudillo Laguesma as Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) secretary.
In today’s CA plenary session. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, concurrent CA chairman, banged his gavel to declare Laguema as the second member of the Cabinet of President Ferdinand R. Marcos II in the 19th Congress to be confirmed by the CA.
Representative Greg Gatasaya, chairman of the CA labor committee, favorably endorsed Laguesma’s confirmation in the CA plenary session.
Laguesma had vowed to make the labor department a “more responsible and responsive institution that reaches out to needy workers, especially those in rural and far-urban areas.”
“I would like to see DOLE become more conscientious and committed to delivering services, especially to those with limited knowledge and access to DOLE,” he added.
Laguesma was a former DOLE Secretary during the Estrada administration from 1998 to 2001. He has served under five Philippine Presidents.
He has spent more than 20 years in the DOLE first as mediator and labor arbiter.
Like Senator Francis Tolentino, Laguesma, a son of a plumber, took up public sector administration studies in London.
Senator Christopher ‘’Bong’’ Go seconded Gatasaya’s motion to have Laguesma confirmed.
He said Laguesma is no stranger to the government service and would serve DOLE with ‘’diligence and faithfulness.’’
Tolentino said Laguesma would protect the rights of labor and management. He said he is sure that with Laguesma’s background on labor, the Philippine economy would expand.
Representative Ramon Guico, CA vice chairman, expressed optimism that the aspirations of the labor sector would be served under Laguesma’s term.
Laguesma, according to Senator Joseph Victor ‘’JV’’ Ejercito, is a ‘’man of honor and integrity.’’
Senator Jose ‘’Jinggoy’’ E. Estrada, chairman of the Senate labor committee, supported Laguesma’s confirmation.
` In his co-sponsorship speech, Estrada said that Laguesma was appointed as DOLE secretary by his father, former President Joseph Estrada in 1998 ‘’and it is safe to say that Secretary Benny is our go-to guy for labor concerns.’’
‘’This time, he will be confronted with a new labor landscape, one where telecommuting and work-from-home arrangements are considered the norm; where our manpower development suffered serious setbacks due to the restrictions posed by the pandemic; and where another government agency is created to fully take care of our migrant workers,’’ he said.
‘’Fortunately, Secretary Laguesma brings his wealth of 22 years of experience in the DOLE and a total of 28 years in government service. As he vows DOLE to be a “more responsible and responsive institution that reaches out to needy workers, especially those in rural and far-urban areas” and more conscientious and committed to delivering services, especially to those with limited knowledge and access to DOLE, I am certain that he will serve the best interests of our labor sector,’’ he stressed.
‘’This representation is of the firm belief that with his competence, patriotism and unblemished record, Attorney Bienvenido Laguesma, true to his Spanish name, is a welcome addition to the Cabinet,’’ he added.