MANILA, Philippines — In commemoration of Labor Day, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. approved an executive order that paves the way for the creation of an inter-agency committee to oversee labor cases.
But, on May 1, trade unions and workers' rights advocates noted two factors missing: the inclusion of stakeholders — or the workers themselves — in the creation of the committee and the chief executive himself, who is currently on an official trip to the United States to score more investments for the Philippines and to discuss defense deals with its decades-old treaty ally and former colonizer.
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"It’s disappointing how [the president] chose to prioritize the Americans on his first Labor Day instead of hearing out the concerns of workers in the country," Kilusang Mayo Uno Chairperson Elmer "Ka Bong" Labog told the media in Filipino.
Thousands of workers from trade groups under KMU, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition and Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino — under the new formation All Philippine Trade Unions — took their issues to the streets on Monday as they reiterated calls for an increase in the minimum wage and for the government to put an end to contractualization.
READ: Labor Day protests: Calls for livable wage, protection of trade union rights
New committee, but stakeholders not involved
Prior to his trip to Washington DC, Marcos Jr. greenlighted Executive Order No. 23 to created the Inter-Agency Committee for the Protection of the Freedom of Association and Right to Organize of Workers. This was a response to a recommendation by the International Labor Organization for the creation of an official body that would investigate alleged labor-related violence or killings.
The committee will include the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of National Defense, Department of Trade and Industry, the National Security Council, and the Philippine National Police.
"Workers are a major stakeholder in these attacks against the freedom of association," Labog said in Filipino. "And yet, in the decision to create this committee, they did not even consult trade unions. They formed the inter-agency committee without a representative of the Filipino worker."
Trade unionists continue to be attacked in the Philippines. Alex Dolorosa, a labor rights defender and organizer of the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN), was found dead on the outskirts of Bacolod City last week with over 30 stab wounds. Workers groups' said his murder is connected to his union work.
In January, teachers' and healthworkers' rights activists were also abducted in broad daylight at the Cebu City pier. They were released days later in a resort town outside Cebu City.
READ: Cebu activists say readying legal action over abduction at city pier | CHR investigates killing of BPO organizer, calls for protection for workers and unions
Marcos in the US
But workers lamented how Marcos Jr. left the country instead of hearing and listening to the workers addressing their concerns. The government has repeatedly said overseas trips would yield an increase in foreign investments in the Philippines, but workers say these efforts have yet to translate into actual job opportunities and better wages.
Labor leader Leody de Guzman said the administration should already recognize that these efforts are a "failure," saying previous administrations also tried to woo foreign investors in order to create jobs in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, BMP president Luke Espiritu said attracting foreign investors by trying to market Philippine labor is "not true development" and is only putting workers at risk.
READ: Workers remind Marcos: Quality, better-paying jobs needed back home
The country’s consumer economy benefits from money sent back home by overseas Filipino workers, with the 2022 total remittances hitting a record $32.14 billion. As workers continue to rally for a P750 wage increase in the Philippines, many choose to work abroad instead to make ends meet.
A Social Weather Stations survey conducted in December showed that there are 7% of Filipinos looking for work overseas, with Canada chosen as a top destination, followed by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Qatar, and the United States.
RELATED: SWS: 7% of Filipino households have OFWs; 7% of Pinoys seeking work abroad
Migrant workers groups have continuously criticized the Philippine government’s unofficial labor export policy, which initially began as a stop-gap measure to deal with unemployment rate back home but was instead continued, affecting local sectors. — with reports from Gaea Katreena Cabico