MANILA — Sen. Joel Villanueva said Sunday he is dismayed that President Rodrigo Duterte did not approve a proposed legislation that would put an end to "endo" or labor contractualization.

Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, said his team worked hard for an anti-endo bill, only for Duterte to veto the measure in 2019.

In rejecting the bill, Duterte said he sought to achieve a "delicate balance" between the interests of employers and employees.

"May kaunting galit sa akin dahil 'pag kita mo, balanseng-balanse po ang ginawa nating version na ito," Villanueva, who is eyeing reelection in the May 9 polls, said on Vice President Leni Robredo's weekly radio program.

(There's a bit of anger because if you see the bill, the version we made was really balanced.)

Robredo has not appeared on the show since the start of the campaign period earlier this month.

• Duterte seeks labor 'balance' with veto of stop-'endo' bill

Villanueva vowed to file another anti-endo bill should he win another term in the Senate.

In 2016, Duterte promised to stop "endo," short for "end of contract," a practice in which some employers end contracts on the fifth month and renew it for 5 months at a time to avoid granting workers regular employee status.

— Report from Jasmin Romero, ABS-CBN News