The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) warmly welcomes the recent joint position from the Leaders Forum, a bipartite body of labour and employer groups, urging for a significant increase in the CHR’s budget to ensure that it has adequate resources for addressing labour-related human rights violations.
The Leaders Forum, composed of organisations such as the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Philippine Exporters Confederation representing employers, along with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Federation of Free Workers, and Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa representing workers, has taken a commendable step in advocating for a more robust CHR.
This collective call from both sides of the labour sector reflects the pressing need to fortify the Commission’s capacity to protect and uphold the rights of all workers in the country.
The Commission stands resolutely alongside the Filipino labour force in advocating for their rights, welfare, and dignity in the workplace. We remain committed to our stance that every worker deserves equitable treatment, just compensation, and safe working conditions.
It must be noted that the CHR and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA), aimed at enhancing cooperation in promoting and protecting the rights of Filipino workers. This collaboration, aligned with the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) recommendation for stronger interagency cooperation, seeks to improve the speed and effectiveness of investigations into violations of workers’ freedom of association and right to organise, strengthen case build-up and evidence gathering, and provide financial assistance for labour rights violations. The partnership also supports the implementation of Executive Order No. 23, which mandates the protection of workers’ rights, ensuring the Philippines’ compliance with ILO and other human rights conventions.
The CHR has always been at the forefront of addressing various human rights concerns, including those that impact the labour sector. However, the growing complexity and volume of cases, particularly labour-related human rights violations, demand more resources to ensure comprehensive monitoring, effective witness protection, and the timely provision of reparations to victims. Given these realities, the Leaders Forum’s call for an increased budget is a crucial step towards enabling the CHR to further enhance its operational capacity in these areas.
The Commission continues to stand for the rights of all, but most especially for the plight of the weak, vulnerable, and marginalised—and this includes every Filipino labourer in the country. ###