MANILA — Presidential candidate former Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Sunday said he will “fine-tune” the Security of Tenure Bill, also known as the Anti-Endo Bill, if elected president.

In a Labor Day town hall meeting with members of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) in Quezon City, Marcos Jr. said labor protection is the most "primordial" among his platforms.

He said will push for security of tenure, standards, and safety conditions in the workplace, and implement policies balancing management and labor concerns.

"Unang-una, priority ko lahat. 'Pag napag-uusapan labor, 'pag napag-usapan ang worker's movement, 'pag napag-usapan ang ating mga workers at laborers dito sa Pilipinas ay papaano natin sila puproteksyunan? Dahil talaga ang plano natin ay pagandahin nang husto, palakihin natin nang husto ang ating ekonomiya," he said.

(First of all, everyone is my priority when it comes to labor, workers' movement. How do we protect our labors and workers in the Philippines? Our plan is to improve and expand our economy.)

Stopping "endo" was among Duterte's campaign promises in 2016. But in 2019, Duterte also vetoed the bill seeking to put a stop to this practice.

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Last month, Malacanang said Duterte hopes that Congress would rectify the vetoed provisions of the anti-endo bill.

Marcos Jr. also said there was a need to create more jobs to make up for the losses made by the pandemic, and stressed that he does not agree with future lockdowns amid a possible surge of coronavirus cases.

A clear delineation between the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the new Department of Migrant Workers must also be made, he said.

According to Marcos Jr., a delineation will help the DOLE focus more on domestic labor issues, putting into priority concerns that may have not been prioritized before the creation of the DMW.

Marcos Jr.'s town hall with TUCP is the third such meeting since the national campaign period kicked off last February 8.

TUCP earlier endorsed the candidacies of Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

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