TRIPARTITE LEADERS GATHER IN LUCENA TO STRENGTHEN INDUSTRIAL HARMONY AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH

Nearly 300 representatives from the labor, management, and government sectors convened at the Event Theatre of Pacific Mall in Lucena City for the 1st General Assembly of the Quezon Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (QTIPC), an initiative designed to strengthen industrial harmony, promote decent work, and drive inclusive growth through a revitalized tripartite partnership. The assembly featured policy dialogues, technical discussions, and unified commitments aligned with the theme, “Sustaining Industrial Peace Through Tripartite Partnership Toward Decent Work and Inclusive Growth.”

On 09 February 2026, the Quezon Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (QTIPC), Inc., in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment – Quezon Provincial Office (DOLE-QPO), gathered nearly 300 representatives from labor, management, and government for the 1st General Assembly of QTIPC at the Event Theatre of Pacific Mall in Lucena City, aimed at reinforcing industrial harmony, advancing decent work, and fostering inclusive growth through a revitalized tripartite partnership carried out via policy dialogues, technical discussions, and collective commitments anchored on the theme, “Sustaining Industrial Peace Through Tripartite Partnership Toward Decent Work and Inclusive Growth.”

The atmosphere inside the theatre was charged not merely with speeches, but with shared purpose. Workers in uniforms sat beside business owners in barongs and blazers; public servants exchanged handshakes with union leaders. It was a living tableau of tripartism—diverse sectors occupying one space, not in contention, but in collaboration.

Opening the technical discussions, Ms. Cristina H. Barayang, Officer-in-Charge of DOLE-QPO, delivered a comprehensive presentation on “Understanding Tripartism: A Framework for Industrial Peace.” She emphasized that tripartism is not an abstract concept but a working mechanism that safeguards rights while enabling enterprise sustainability. “Industrial peace is not the absence of disagreement,” Ms. Barayang underscored. “It is the presence of dialogue, respect, and shared accountability. Through tripartism, we transform potential conflict into cooperation and shared progress.”

The assembly also confronted emerging realities. Mr. Joe Mari S. Francisco, Senior Labor and Employment Officer of the Institute for Labor Studies, spoke on “Climate Change and the Future of Work: Policy Directions for a Just Transition in the Philippine Labor Market.” He outlined how climate-related disruptions reshape employment landscapes and highlighted the need for adaptive labor policies that protect livelihoods while steering industries toward sustainability.

Meanwhile, Engr. Ma. Angelica B. Balasta, Senior Labor and Employment Officer of DOLE-QPO, guided participants through “Understanding General Labor Standards: Rights, Duties, and Compliance,” reinforcing the practical dimensions of labor rights and employer responsibilities. The session demystified compliance requirements and underscored that decent work is a shared obligation.

For many attendees, the event was more than an assembly—it was reassurance. A worker-participant from a local manufacturing firm expressed heartfelt appreciation: “This assembly reminded me that our voices matter. Knowing that government, employers, and workers can sit together and listen gives me hope that our concerns will not be ignored.”

Beyond presentations, the impact of the gathering lay in renewed commitments—agreements to strengthen grievance mechanisms, enhance workplace compliance, and pursue policies responsive to climate and economic transitions. The nearly 300 participants did not merely attend; they affirmed a collective responsibility to sustain industrial peace in Quezon Province.

Through initiatives such as the QTIPC General Assembly, DOLE Quezon continues to demonstrate that compassionate governance is not performed from a distance—it is built in rooms where sectors meet, listen, and act together.

In the heart of Lucena City, amid dialogue and shared resolve, hope was not merely discussed—it was organized, affirmed, and set into motion.

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MGA LIDER NG TRIPARTITE, NAGTITIPON SA LUCENA UPANG PAGTIBAYIN ANG UGNAYANG PANG-INDUSTRIYA AT ITAGUYOD ANG INKLUSIBONG PAGLAGO

Noong ika-09 ng Pebrero 2026, pinangunahan ng Quezon Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (QTIPC), Inc., katuwang ang Department of Labor and Employment – Quezon Provincial Office (DOLE-QPO), ang pagtitipon ng halos 300 kinatawan mula sa sektor ng paggawa, pamunuan, at pamahalaan para sa Unang Pangkalahatang Asembleya ng QTIPC na ginanap sa Event Theatre ng Pacific Mall sa Lungsod ng Lucena. Layunin nitong patatagin ang kapayapaang industriyal, isulong ang disenteng trabaho, at palakasin ang inklusibong paglago sa pamamagitan ng pinalakas na tripartite partnership, na isinakatuparan sa pamamagitan ng mga talakayang pampatakaran, teknikal na diskusyon, at sama-samang mga pangako na nakaangkla sa temang “Sustaining Industrial Peace Through Tripartite Partnership Toward Decent Work and Inclusive Growth.”

Hindi lamang mga talumpati ang bumalot sa loob ng teatro, kundi isang nagkakaisang layunin. Magkatabing nakaupo ang mga manggagawang naka-uniporme at mga may-ari ng negosyo na nakabarong at naka-blazer; nagkamayan ang mga lingkod-bayan at mga lider-unyon. Isa itong malinaw na larawan ng tripartismo—iba’t ibang sektor na nasa iisang espasyo, hindi upang magtunggali, kundi upang magtulungan.

Sa pagbubukas ng mga teknikal na talakayan, nagbigay ng komprehensibong presentasyon si Ms. Cristina H. Barayang, Officer-in-Charge ng DOLE-QPO, hinggil sa “Understanding Tripartism: A Framework for Industrial Peace.” Binigyang-diin niya na ang tripartismo ay hindi isang abstraktong konsepto kundi isang gumaganang mekanismo na nagtataguyod ng mga karapatan habang pinananatili ang katatagan ng mga negosyo. “Ang kapayapaang industriyal ay hindi kawalan ng hindi pagkakasundo,” ani Ms. Barayang. “Ito ay presensya ng dayalogo, paggalang, at sama-samang pananagutan. Sa pamamagitan ng tripartismo, ang mga posibleng sigalot ay nagiging kooperasyon at sama-samang pag-unlad.”

Tinalakay rin sa asembleya ang mga umuusbong na hamon. Ibinahagi ni Mr. Joe Mari S. Francisco, Senior Labor and Employment Officer ng Institute for Labor Studies, ang paksang “Climate Change and the Future of Work: Policy Directions for a Just Transition in the Philippine Labor Market.” Ipinaliwanag niya kung paano binabago ng mga epekto ng climate change ang anyo ng empleyo at binigyang-diin ang pangangailangan ng mga patakarang panggawa na umaangkop sa pagbabago, nagpoprotekta sa kabuhayan, at gumagabay sa mga industriya tungo sa sustenableng pag-unlad.

Samantala, pinangunahan ni Engr. Ma. Angelica B. Balasta, Senior Labor and Employment Officer ng DOLE-QPO, ang talakayan sa “Understanding General Labor Standards: Rights, Duties, and Compliance,” kung saan pinatibay ang praktikal na aspeto ng mga karapatan ng manggagawa at pananagutan ng mga employer. Nilinaw sa sesyon ang mga rekisito sa pagsunod at binigyang-diin na ang disenteng trabaho ay isang kolektibong obligasyon.

Para sa marami, ang pagtitipon ay higit pa sa isang asembleya—ito ay katiyakan. Isang manggagawang kalahok mula sa isang lokal na kompanya ng pagmamanupaktura ang nagpahayag ng taos-pusong pasasalamat: “Ipinaalala ng asembleyang ito na mahalaga ang aming tinig. Ang makitang magkasamang nakaupo at nakikinig ang pamahalaan, mga employer, at manggagawa ay nagbibigay sa akin ng pag-asa na hindi mababalewala ang aming mga hinaing.”

Higit sa mga presentasyon, ang tunay na bunga ng pagtitipon ay ang panibagong mga pangako—pagpapatibay ng mga mekanismo sa pagresolba ng reklamo, pagpapalakas ng pagsunod sa pamantayan sa paggawa, at pagsusulong ng mga patakarang tumutugon sa mga pagbabagong dulot ng klima at ekonomiya. Ang halos 300 kalahok ay hindi lamang dumalo; kanilang pinagtibay ang kolektibong pananagutan na panatilihin ang kapayapaang industriyal sa Lalawigan ng Quezon.

Sa pamamagitan ng mga inisyatiba tulad ng QTIPC General Assembly, patuloy na ipinapakita ng DOLE Quezon na ang makataong pamamahala ay hindi isinasagawa mula sa malayo—ito ay binubuo sa mga silid kung saan nagtatagpo, nakikinig, at kumikilos nang magkakasama ang iba’t ibang sektor.

Sa puso ng Lungsod ng Lucena, sa gitna ng dayalogo at nagkakaisang paninindigan, ang pag-asa ay hindi lamang pinag-usapan—ito ay inorganisa, pinagtibay, at isinakatuparan.