ZAMBOANGA CITY. June 4 — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 9 makes it easier for clients to file requests for assistance wherever they may be in the country through the online service called E-SEnA or the Electronic Single Entry Approach service.

Regional Director Atty. Roy L. Buenafe said that the online service aims to give clients the convenience of availing the program without the need to physically appear at any DOLE office.

“DOLE 9 has always been pro-active with the way programs and services are implemented. Since 2017, we have slowly transitioned into online services for most programs. Now that we are plagued with the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to limit face-to-face transactions so that we can ensure the safety of not only the clients but also our employees,” Director Buenafe added.

The Single Entry Approach (SEnA) is an administrative approach to provide a speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement procedure of all labor issues or conflicts to prevent them from ripening into full-blown disputes or actual labor cases.

DOLE, as the neutral party, conciliates, mediates and assists the parties by giving advice, or offering solutions and alternatives to problems.

Labor dispute issues such as termination or suspension of employment issues, money claims, union issues after exhaustion of administrative remedies, unfair labor practices, closures, retrenchments, redundancies, temporary lay-offs, OFW cases; and any other claims or issues arising from employer-employee relationship may be settled through the SEnA.
“Our clients still have the option to file RFAs in person but we highly recommend using the E-SEnA if they have access to the internet. Once the online RFA is filed, desk officers will schedule a virtual conference using whatever video conferencing platform is available and convenient to the client such as Facebook messenger and many others,” Director Buenafe stressed.

To begin using the E-SEnA, clients only have to open a browser and type the following into the address bar: https://sena.dole.gov.ph/
Once in, the client needs to fill out the form with complete details to ensure that desk officers will be able to process their requests promptly.
To date, the SEnA program of the Department has helped thousands of workers and employers since its conception, helping settle issues and arriving at solutions to even the most difficult problems. For more information, clients may visit the DOLE 9 website at www.dole9portal.com.