PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed Executive Order 97 that would ensure that workers are well protected to freely form unions, join associations, and exercise their rights without fear.
EO 97, was signed on September 18 and published in the Official Gazette yesterday.
In the EO, the President laid down clear rules for government agencies to protect the workers’ rights; ensure that rallies and union activities remain peaceful and lawful; and directed government agencies to safeguard workers’ rights to unionize, organize, and engage in peaceful concerted activities in line with the Constitution and international labor standards.
It also supports the constitutional guarantees of protecting workers’ right to self-organization, collective bargaining, and peaceful assembly; and addresses concerns raised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) which had called on the Philippine government to act on reported laborers’ concerns.
During the 108th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in June 2019, the ILO established a High-Level Tripartite Mission (HLTM) to assist the Philippine Government in addressing reported incidents of violence, red-tagging, and suppression of trade union rights.
The HLTM then recommended immediate and effective actions, including prevention of violence related to legitimate union activities; investigation and accountability for acts of violence against union members; operationalization of monitoring bodies; and assurance that all workers, without distinction, can freely form and join organizations of their choosing.
Marcos, in 2023, then issued EO No. 23 that created the Inter-Agency Committee for the Protection of the Freedom of Association and Right to Organize of Workers, (Inter-Agency Committee). The committee was directed to take all necessary measures to address the ILO areas of concern.
The Inter-Agency Committee shall also ensure the promotion and safeguarding of the workers’ rights to freedom of association, self-organization, and collective bargaining, with full regard for human, civil, political, economic, and social rights and liberties.
The President, in rolling out EO 97, adopted Joint Memorandum Order (JMO) No. 1 that was issued by the Inter-Agency Committee, together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2024,.
The “Omnibus Guidelines on the Exercise of Freedom of Association and Civil Liberties” governs the conduct of all stakeholders in promoting the effective exercise by private sector workers of their freedom of association and civil liberties.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Justice, Department of National Defense, Department of Trade and Industry, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the National Security Council, has been tasked to oversee the implementation of JMO No. 1.
The said agencies were also directed to integrate JMO No, 1 in their respective policies, training programs, operations manuals, and information and education materials.
Marcos also directed the DOLE, through the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council, to monitor implementation and compliance, and ordered the Inter-Agency Committee shall provide regular reports to the Office of the President.
