The House of Representatives has passed on third and final reading a measure authored by Davao City Representative Karlo Alexei Nograles which aims to speed up the resolution of labor disputes  by strengthening the government agency tasked to handle them.

House Bill 5306 amends the Labor Code to provide the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) the flexibility it needs to effective manage its manpower and services.

The bill, which was also authored by Paranaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, increases from three to five the number of Commission Attorneys that can be assigned to the Office of the NLRC Chairman and each commissioner.

“The Commission Attorneys are the ones who assist the NLRC in its appellate and adjudicatory functions,” said Nograles, the vice president for internal affairs of the National Unity Party (NUP).

Nograles, who chairs the House labor and employment committee, said HB 5306 lifts the restriction on Labor Arbiters holding office in the region where they reside as well as  the provision barring them from performing the work of Commission Attorneys or from being assigned to the office of any Commissioner.

These amendments, Nograles said, are necessary to keep Philippine labor relations attuned to today’s fast-paced world.

"Because of such realities, agencies with mandates related to management of labor relations such as the NLRC must be endowed with such degree of flexibility as to immediately adapt to varying industrial relations scenarios," Nograles said.