Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (File photo) MANILA - Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will not join the presidential debate organized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). In a statement on Monday, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Marcos' chief of staff and spokesperson, confirmed the camp's non-participation in the presidential debate on Saturday. "Presidential frontrunner Bongbong Marcos' words are his bond, thus we shall honor our commitment to our supporters to be with them on the field on this day," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez noted they will remain on-ground campaigning. "We shall continue with our preferred mode of direct communication with the people and engage them in a more personal face-to-face interaction that discusses real issues that affect them today, tomorrow and in the days to come as this election is all about our collective future," he said. In a radio DWIZ interview on Saturday,
Labor Assistant Secretary Maria Teresita Cucueco (Screengrab from Laging Handa briefing) MANILA - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday reported that it has surpassed its 75,000 target establishments to be inspected for compliance on general labor standards, occupational safety, and coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) monitoring for this year. "Our target for this year is 75,000. Today, we are at 90,327. We're over, and 120 percent on inspection. We see good in their compliance with general labor standards and occupational safety and Covid-19 monitoring, as of November," Labor Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresita Cucueco said in a Laging Handa briefing. She also reported that the compliance of companies is improving, as they recorded some 70 percent of firms are following the guidelines, particularly in safety and health. "The compliance on general labor standards and safety and health is recorded separately. Last year, we recorded good compliance wit