President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has greenlighted the creation of an inter-agency committee that will facilitate the resolution of labor cases in the country.
Marcos has approved on Sunday Executive Order (EO) No. 23, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin dated April 30, 2023, which reinforces and protects the freedom of association and the right to organize of workers.
The EO noted concerns of various groups on the Philippines’ implementation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87, “in view of reported incidents of acts of violence, extra-judicial killings, harassment, suppression of trade union rights and red tagging allegedly perpetrated by State agents, targeting in particular, certain trade unions and workers’ organizations.”
The newly created Inter-Agency Committee will be headed by the Executive Secretary and co-chaired by the Secretary of Labor.
Meanwhile, the members of the Inter-Agency panel will be the Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of National Defense, Department of Trade and Industry, National Security Council, and the Philippine National Police.
The functions of the Inter-Agency Committee include the consolidation and evaluation of all comprehensive reports and developing a roadmap containing the priority areas of action, tangible deliverables, clear responsibilities, and appropriate timeframes.
“The roadmap shall be subject to regular review and should consider the consolidated reports and recommendations from the concerned agencies and inputs from other relevant stakeholders,” the EO stated.
