Sen. Raffy Tulfo recently conducted a random inspection at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) Main Office in Quezon City, where he spoke with victims of unfair labor practices by some companies.

Tulfo made the surprise visit on Monday, Oct. 13, as the new chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor and Employment, where he personally spoke with the victims of unfair labor practices to check on their situation and the status of their cases filed with the NLRC.

The first group he met with consisted of 28 former factory workers from W.L. Foods Corporation earning below the minimum wage since 2010. In addition, they claimed that the company was not paying their SSS, PhilHealth, and PAG-IBIG contributions, 13th-month pay, overtime pay, and other benefits.

Some of them had already spoken with Tulfo when he inspected W.L. Foods in Valenzuela in May 2025, where they exposed the company’s illegal piece-rate (pakyawan) system. After that inspection, W.L. allegedly refused to renew their contracts, prompting the workers to file an illegal dismissal case and seek their back wages.

Likewise, they previously filed a case with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), but no settlement was reached because W.L. offered only ₱10,000 each — far from the ₱100,000 they were entitled to.

“Nakakainsulto ito (This is insulting),” Tulfo said.

Tulfo also met with former Lazada delivery riders who also complained about the lack of government-mandated benefits and 13th-month pay. They also lamented the long reimbursement process for their surety bonds, worth ₱40,000–₱70,000 each, which could only be claimed upon resignation.

Several employees from Shopee Philippines’ warehouse also approached Sen. Idol, reporting that their agency was deducting from their salaries for missing parcels — even if the losses weren’t their fault.

The senator also encountered some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Filipino nurses who were mistreated in Qatar, whose agency was allegedly refusing to pay their rightful salaries and benefits even after they had filed complaints with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

“Wala na ngang trabaho at kita, pahirap pa sa mga complainants ang paulit-ulit na nagpupunta sa DOLE, ngunit kapag na-refer na sa NLRC, muli na namang dadaan sa matagal at nakakapagod na proseso bago lumabas ang desisyon sa kanilang mga kaso (They already have no jobs and no income, yet complainants are still burdened by repeatedly going to the DOLE. And when their case is referred to the NLRC, they have to go through another long and exhausting process before a decision on their case is finally made),” Tulfo said.

During his meeting with NLRC officials, Tulfo emphasized the need to review and streamline processes to make them faster. He stressed that once a DOLE inspector confirms that a company pays below the minimum wage, the company should immediately be required to pay the workers the deficiency without having to go through lengthy NLRC conciliation proceedings that take forever.

Citing his proposed Wage Theft Bill, the senator also raised the idea of establishing “small claims labor courts” to simplify and speed up labor dispute resolution.

Tulfo also said that he will file a bill that would fix the licensing system for security agencies, aiming to prevent the common tactic of employers transferring company names or ownership just to evade legal obligations. He also suggested that the NLRC and other government agencies, such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), should have a shared database to easily locate companies’ official addresses and ensure they cannot evade service of summons when facing complaints.

He further proposed that companies with pending labor cases before the NLRC should not be allowed to renew their business permits with the BPLO until those cases have been resolved.

Tulfo vowed that during the Senate budget deliberations, he would push for the allocation of additional staff for NLRC to ensure faster action on the complaints raised by aggrieved workers.