Workers can expect no change from newly appointed Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) secretary Francis Tolentino. The department will remain anti-worker and pro-capitalist, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) chairperson Jerome Adonis said.

“Tolentino supports the retention of regional wage boards—a mechanism for wage suppression and for dividing workers’ unity,” he said.

As Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman, he withheld benefits that workers had already won. He also dismissed many employees in the MMDA under his leadership.

When Tolentino was a senator, he stood as co-author of the Senate version of the Anti-Terror Law. He pushed for the “disclosure” by government employees of whether they have relatives who are part of “terrorist groups.” This move aligns with the policy of Red-tagging and repression implemented by the NTF-ELCAC against progressive organizations and activists.

“What kind of DOLE Secretary is that?” Adonis fired back. “Workers face unemployment, low wages amid the crisis, and attacks on the right to unionize and strike. From his track record alone, it looks like ‘Tol’ will not address labor issues but will act as a mouthpiece of the NTF-ELCAC.”

Tolentino comes from one of the largest political dynasties in Cavite. Ferdinand Marcos Jr appointed him as Acting DOLE Secretary on May 25, a year after he lost his 2025 Senate bid. He replaced Bienvenido Laguesma.