Marcos tells Senate: Ratify ILO agreement

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has requested the Senate to swiftly adopt an International Labor Organization agreement that would deal with the overlapping issues that lead to violence in the workplace.

Marcos was referring to Convention No. 190 (C-190), or the Convention on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work, which the ILO Convention General Conference approved in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2019.

The international treaty, which took effect on 25 June 2021, covers all public or private areas, in cities and rural areas, and in the formal and informal economy. It also gives everyone a way to talk about violence and harassment at work, including violence against women.

Marcos made the request in a letter dated 13 October to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and other senators, but it was made public on Wednesday.

"The ratification of the ILO C-190 will fortify the Philippine government's mandate and policy in promoting and protecting the rights of Filipino workers, locally and overseas, by pushing for a work environment with zero tolerance for violence and harassment," Marcos said.

"In this regard, the country's commitments relative to the ILO C-190 will contribute to the performance of key targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly with respect to Goal 5 on Gender Equality and Goal 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth," he said.

The National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Labor and Employment, the Commission on Human Rights, the Civil Service Commission, the Philippine Commission on Women, and the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat all agreed with the plan to ratify ILO C-190.