If you work in the Philippines, or you employ people here, you will probably hear the word “SEnA” at some point. It stands for Single Entry Approach, and it is the government’s way of getting workers and employers to sit down and talk before a labor dispute turns into a full-blown case. Think of SEnA as the front door to the labor justice system. For many labor disputes, this is where the process starts before a case can move to the proper forum.

In 2025, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) updated the rules. This article explains how SEnA works today, including the new steps for cases involving contractors and subcontractors, and the new “walk-in settlement.”

What is SEnA, and what is the legal basis?

SEnA is a free conciliation-mediation process handled by DOLE, the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), and the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC). A neutral government officer, called the Single Entry Assistance Desk Officer (SEADO), helps both sides talk things through and look for a fair settlement. The officer does not decide who is right or wrong.

SEnA began as a DOLE program in 2010. Republic Act No. 10396 later institutionalized it by requiring labor and employment issues, subject to recognized exceptions, to go through mandatory conciliation-mediation before the Labor Arbiter or the appropriate DOLE office may entertain a referred case. The current implementing rules are in DOLE Department Order No. 249, Series of 2025, which replaced the 2016 rules and took effect in March 2025.

One point is worth keeping straight: SEnA is mandatory as an entry process, but settlement itself is always voluntary. The officer facilitates the discussion and never imposes a deal.

How does the process work?

Step 1: Filing the request. Either side, whether a worker, a group of workers, a union, or an employer, may file a Request for Assistance (RFA). It may be filed onsite at the appropriate SEnA desk of DOLE, the NCMB or the NLRC. The requesting party may choose the desk nearest their residence, the place where the union or workers’ association operates, or the employer’s principal place of business, as applicable. It may also be filed through the SEnA online system. Requests by email or messaging app are accepted but still require an interview, while anonymous or phone requests are generally treated as requests for technical assistance only.

Step 2: The interview. The officer checks whether the issue can be handled through SEnA. If so, the request is recorded and assigned. If not, the person is pointed to the right office.

Step 3: The notice and first conference. For onsite filing, the first conference date is set on the same day. For online filing, it is set within two days of assignment. The meeting is generally held within five days of assignment, and not later than ten. Conferences may be face-to-face or online, as long as every party can join.

Step 4: The 30 days. The 30-day period starts at the first conference where both sides appeared, so it is not necessarily counted from the date the request was filed. The officer may call as many meetings as needed within that period. A conference can be reset only for a good reason and with the other side’s agreement, and the new date should fall within three days of the original. The 30 days cannot be extended unless both parties agree and settlement is still possible, and then by no more than 15 days.

Step 5a: If you settle. The agreement is put in writing, signed by both sides, and attested by the officer. It is final and immediately executory, except where it is shown to be contrary to law, morals, public order or public policy.

Step 5b: If you do not settle. The unresolved issues may be referred to the proper office, such as the NLRC for an illegal dismissal complaint. The parties do not always have to wait for all 30 days to run out. Either or both parties may ask for early referral, and a referral may also be issued if the responding party skips two scheduled conferences in a row despite proper notice. A referral is not itself the formal complaint. It is the officer’s endorsement to the proper office, and the party must still take the step that office requires to start the formal case.

Why does it help?

It is free, quick, and does not require mastery of court rules. It lets employers fix a problem before legal costs and tension pile up, and it can help both sides keep a working relationship. What is said during the conferences is confidential and generally cannot be used as evidence in later arbitration unless both sides waive that protection.

Are lawyers allowed?

SEnA is designed to be non-litigious and non-technical. The parties generally appear and speak for themselves, and lawyers are not encouraged to participate except in circumstances the rules allow, such as when the lawyer is a party or a duly authorized representative.

A representative may appear in place of a party in specific situations: the party has moved to another region or is abroad, is a minor or physically unable to attend, or has passed away while the request is pending. The representative must bring written authority, such as a special power of attorney, board resolution or secretary’s certificate, allowing them to sign a binding settlement.

In practice, a lawyer is most useful behind the scenes: reviewing your documents, checking your computation, and reading the settlement before you sign it.

What should each side prepare?

The requesting party (often the worker):

  • A valid ID, contact details, and the other side’s correct name and address.
  • Your position, dates of work, pay, and a short step-by-step account of what happened.
  • Supporting papers: contract, payslips, company ID, memos, termination letter, schedules, and message screenshots.
  • Your own computation, a clear idea of what you want, and the minimum you would accept.

The responding party (often the employer):

  • Please do not ignore the notice. Attend, and make sure the person attending can actually make decisions.
  • Gather the employment records: contract, payroll, time and leave records, government remittances, and the employee file, plus any disciplinary or termination papers.
  • Do your own computation, decide how much room you have to settle, and come ready to talk.

What else should we know?

  • Some matters are outside SEnA. These include actual strikes and lockouts and related notices; disputes over what a collective bargaining agreement or company policy means (handled through the grievance process); wage order exemption applications; violations involving permits, licenses and registrations, including contractor registration; urgent occupational safety matters under separate enforcement, such as imminent danger, dangerous occurrences, disabling injury, or missing or inadequate protective equipment; social security and welfare claims; and inter-union and intra-union disputes. Claims already covered by a settlement and quitclaim signed before a SEADO are also excluded.
  • Overseas Filipino workers. Their claims, including money claims, are still accepted, subject to the jurisdictional and procedural rules on overseas employment.
  • Related requests may be combined. Requests with the same employer and the same issues may be consolidated, and two desks may coordinate if the worker files in a different region from where the employer operates.
  • No recording. Parties generally may not record the proceedings through voice, video or other devices. There is a limited exception for recording the reading and acceptance of an online settlement agreement.
  • Do not treat the quitclaim as the starting point of an installment settlement. Where the deal involves installment payments, reinstatement, lifting of a suspension or another positive act, the employer must submit a compliance report, and the signed waiver and quitclaim is issued only upon full compliance.
  • If someone does not comply, the other side may report it. The officer calls one more conference and, if that fails, refers the matter to DOLE or the NLRC for enforcement.

New in 2025: contractors and subcontractors

Many workers are hired through an agency or contractor and assigned to another company. That makes three parties: the worker, the contractor who hired them, and the “principal,” the company where they actually work. When a worker complains about unpaid wages or an ended assignment, it is often unclear who should answer for what. The revised rules now expressly address how SEnA handles requests involving contracting or subcontracting arrangements.

How it works:

  • The interview comes first. If the officer sees a three-way or contracting arrangement, the special procedure applies.
  • The principal and the contractor are both invited for pre-assessment, validation and clarification. In simple terms, the officer wants to sort out who hired the worker, what the contract between the companies says, and who is responsible for what.
  • Then conciliation-mediation proceeds toward an amicable settlement. The usual rules continue to apply: the 30-day period, a written and attested settlement, and referral to the proper office if no agreement is reached.

What SEnA does not do. SEnA does not substitute for the proper adjudicatory process for deciding whether a contracting arrangement is legitimate or whether a principal should be treated as the worker’s employer. Complaints that a contractor is not properly registered with DOLE also fall outside SEnA and go to the regulatory office.

Why attendance matters. Under the Labor Code, a company that engages a contractor may, in some situations, share responsibility for the contractor’s workers’ unpaid wages and benefits, and in cases of “labor-only contracting” the principal may be treated as the real employer. Those questions are for the proper forum, but they explain why a principal who ignores an invitation takes a real risk.

Practical preparation:

  • Workers: assignment papers, IDs, payslips, schedules, and the names of the contractor and the company where you worked.
  • Contractors: the service agreement, proof of registration, payroll and remittance records, and deployment records.
  • Principals: the service agreement, payment records to the contractor, and records of the worker’s assignment on your premises.

New in 2025: walk-in settlements

Sometimes both sides settle before ever setting foot in a SEnA desk, perhaps after a talk at the HR office or through their lawyers. Before the revised rules, an agreement reached privately was not treated as a SEnA settlement simply because the parties had reached it on their own. The 2025 rules now provide a way to bring such an agreement to a SEADO for validation and attestation.

Not to be confused: “walk-in filing” simply means going to the desk in person to file a request. A “walk-in settlement” means bringing an agreement the two sides already made.

How it works:

  • Bring the agreement to the desk. The officer first does a pre-assessment.
  • A conference is called. Both parties must personally appear and confirm that the agreement is genuine and that they signed it themselves.
  • The officer checks it carefully: whether it is voluntary, fair, truthful and enforceable, whether both sides fully understand it, and whether any term goes against law, morals or public policy.
  • Confirmation. If everything checks out, the officer confirms and attests it. It is then final and immediately executory, with the same effect as a settlement reached through conciliation-mediation.

Why use it. For the employer, it brings finality. For the worker, it provides a clear enforcement route: report non-compliance to the officer, attend a follow-up conference, and if needed seek enforcement from DOLE or the NLRC.

What to watch out for. The officer may decline to confirm an agreement that looks unfair, forced or unlawful. A good agreement spells out the issues covered, the amounts and payment dates, a waiver of the related claims, and a statement that both sides signed freely, without fraud, intimidation, violence or coercion. It must also be a real deal. The rules address “simulated settlements,” where the parties sign something that looks valid but never intend to carry it out, and the officer’s attestation of such an agreement has no binding effect.

The Supreme Court’s reminder. In Naldo, Jr. v. Corporate Protection Services, Phils., Inc. (G.R. No. 243139, April 3, 2024), security guards had filed a SEnA request, and the employer got them to sign resignation letters and quitclaims on the promise that their money claims would be paid. The Court nullified the quitclaims for deceit, found the guards constructively dismissed, and stressed that a quitclaim is valid only if there was no fraud, the consideration is credible and reasonable, and it is not contrary to law or public policy. The employer bears the burden of proving this. The lesson for both sides: a SEnA settlement is never a mere formality, and the circumstances in which it is signed matter.

Other 2025 changes

  • Gig and platform workers. Workers on digital, web-based or location-based platforms may file. If there is an employer-employee relationship, the usual process applies. If the arrangement cannot be determined, or the other side is abroad with no local presence, the request is treated as technical assistance, and a referral may be issued if the worker wishes to pursue a formal case.
  • Diplomats and international organizations. If the other party may have diplomatic immunity, the officer notifies them through the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the request is referred if immunity applies or the party skips two conferences.
  • Heirs. If a worker dies, an heir or representative may file with the death certificate and proof of relationship.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Skipping the conference. Missing two in a row can lead to referral.
  • Signing a settlement you do not fully understand, or one in a language you are not comfortable with.
  • Coming without documents or without authority to decide.
  • Waiting too long. Do not assume that filing or attending SEnA automatically protects every deadline for filing a case. Act promptly and get advice if time limits are a concern.

Bottom line: SEnA is not something to fear or to skip. With preparation and an open mind, those 30 days can resolve a problem faster, cheaper and with far less stress than a long case. Whether you are a worker, a contractor, a principal or an employer, a short consultation before the first conference can make a real difference.