We have received reports that a labor group plans to stage a protest action claiming that PLDT “terminated its service contracts with various agencies in order … to circumvent the Compliance Order of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to regularize its contractual workers.”

The facts are:

• PLDT did not terminate these service contracts.
   
• DOLE has ordered 38 service contract providers of PLDT, including our call center and business process service providers, to cease and desist from providing services to PLDT.
   
• PLDT has questioned the legality and validity of the DOLE order before the Court of Appeals (CA).
   
• Thus far, 23 affected service contractors have also questioned the legality and validity of the DOLE order before the CA.

While PLDT and the affected contractors await judicial relief from the CA, PLDT continues to carry out an orderly and effective intake process in response to the DOLE Order. This process involves the proper identification of individuals named in the DOLE Order and establishing their respective qualifications and fitness for work.

Meantime, PLDT is exerting every possible effort to address the needs of our customers despite the operational impact of the DOLE Order on the provision of PLDT services.  The Company is putting in place various interim and long term measures to continue providing quality services to its customers and the public.