MANILA, Philippines – Coming together in a joint position, a bipartite body of labor and employer groups called for a higher budget for the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to ensure that it is enough to cater to labor-related human rights violations.
“We propose to increase the budget of the [CHR] to ensure that it has adequate resources to monitor labor-related human rights violations, provide witness protection until the case is resolved, and increase reparations and expedite their release to the families of victims of human rights violation,” the Leaders Forum (LF) said in a statement on Wednesday, August 28.
The Leaders Forum is comprised of three employers’ groups and three labor groups: the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Philippine Exporters Confederation representing employers; and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Federation of Free Workers, and Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa representing workers.
In the statement, the groups reiterated an earlier call for the government to continue the investigation, prosecution, and disposition of all cases related to rights violations affecting freedom of association and collective bargaining “without delay and in the interest of justice.”
The alliance made the call in the midst of deliberations on the proposed 2025 national budget. The CHR is scheduled to have its first appropriations committee hearing at the House of Representatives on Thursday, August 29.
The CHR’s 2024 budget is P937.34 million, and for 2025, the Department of Budget and Management has proposed P1.06 billion for the commission in the National Expenditure Program.
The commission has used its funding mainly for its human rights protection, promotion, and policy advisory operations.
One of the worst countries for workers
In February, the Philippines ratified the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s Violence and Harassment Convention, which recognized all workers’ rights to be treated with dignity and respect.
Then in April, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 23 creating an Inter-Agency Committee (IAC) for the Protection of the Freedom of Association and Right to Organize of Workers.
These efforts were not enough for international bodies to reconsider their assessment of the Philippines’ treatment of its workers.
In June, the International Trade Union Confederation included the Philippines in its 10 worst countries for workers for the eighth consecutive year. The ITUC spotlighted violence against trade union leaders and fear among workers to unionize as among the reasons.
The ILO has also called out the Philippines’ shortcomings in protecting the freedom of association, and recommended reforms to better ensure the protection of workers’ right to unionize and speak out.
The Leaders Forum, a national bipartite mechanism created with the support of the Confederation of Danish Industry, said that it “recognizes the positive steps being taken by the government,” but highlighted how to better implement them.
The LF proposed that the IAC regularly convene engagements, such as consultations, updates, briefing sessions, and other similar mechanisms with employers’ and workers’ representatives in the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council and the LF “in the spirit of transparency, social dialogue, and sincere and genuine tripartism as state policy.” – Rappler.com