Press releases

For further information please contact the ILO Country Office for the Philippines at Tel: +63 2 580 9900, Fax: +63 2 856 7597 or email.

2010

  1. RBAP partners with ILO & Gates Foundation to expand microinsurance to millions of low income Filipinos

    25 August 2010

    Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) research and training arm, the Rural Bankers Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (RBRDFI), will receive a US$ 100,000 grant from the International Labour Organization (ILO) under the Microinsurance Innovation Facility. This collaboration aims to support RBAP members in partnering with insurance companies to offer microinsurance.

  2. Youth unemployment at highest recorded level - ILO report; 36 million Asia Pacific young people unemployed – A possible “Lost generation”

    12 August 2010

    The global unemployment rate for young people has risen to its highest recorded level, and is expected to continue increasing until the end of 2010, a new report issued by the International Labour Organization (ILO) says.

  3. New ILO Manila Director backs job creation, decent and productive work in the Philippines

    05 July 2010

    The new Director of the Country Office of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Manila says he supports the Philippine government in its goal to promote decent and productive work. “With the economic crisis we have seen the largest increase in unemployment since the Great Depression,” said Mr Lawrence Jeffrey Johnson, the new Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines.

  4. World Day against Child Labour - countries to "go for the goal" and tackle child labour

    10 June 2010

    As the football World Cup in South Africa kicked off, countries throughout Asia-Pacific marked World Day against Child Labour with an urgent appeal to "Go For the goal - end child labour".

  5. ILO and FAO joint project brings new hope for poor Bondoc Peninsula folks

    08 April 2010

    The ILO and FAO have jointly designed a new project to improve the lives of poor residents of Bondoc Peninsula. The project will cover the four municipalities of Mulanay, San Narciso, Unisan and Catanauan. It aims to directly address extreme poverty and inequality identified as root causes of social unrest and armed conflict in Bondoc Peninsula.

  6. ILO and FAO launch joint initiative to nurture peace, security and decent work in the Philippines; Government of Japan allocates 2.5 million USD for inter-agency programme

    04 March 2010

    The ILO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations will launch a new project to help fishers, farmers and workers in a Philippine province affected by conflict and natural disasters, in partnership with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

  7. Climate change resiliency: helping Agusan del Norte farming communities

    24 February 2010

    Everyday farmers are facing the effects of El Niño or long dry spell. About one-half of the Filipino labour force is engaged in agriculture. Farms are drying up due to climate change which can have a huge impact of incomes of farmers. The International Labour Organization (ILO) highlighted the need for innovative ways to avoid further damage on crops and incomes of farmers.

  8. ILO donates computers to typhoon-affected regions: PESOs to provide job vacancy information and facilitate job registry

    15 February 2010

    The ILO donated computers to Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) in six regions of the Philippines affected by Typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng.

  9. ILO global employment trends 2010 - unemployment reaches highest level on record in 2009

    27 January 2010

    The number of jobless worldwide reached nearly 212 million in 2009 following an unprecedented increase of 34 million compared to 2007, on the eve of the global crisis, the ILO said in its annual Global Employment Trends report.

2009

  1. Changing the way people see disABILITY

    03 December 2009

    Persons with disabilities often face lack of work opportunities or low wages compared to non-disabled persons. ILO estimates that people with disabilities represent 10 per cent of the world’s population, or some 650 million people worldwide. Approximately 470 million are of working age. In a forum on the “Right to Work of Persons with Disabilities” held in line with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the ILO Manila highlighted the need for decent work and equal opportunity.

  2. Press statement of the Philippines High-Level Mission on Freedom of Association and the Protection of the Right to Organize Convention

    01 October 2009

    The ILO High-Level Mission to the Philippines wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the Government of the Philippines, its independent agencies and the workers’ and employers’ organizations of the country for the full cooperation and the extensive information provided to it. As indicated in the media advisory, all relevant information will be transmitted to the ILO supervisory bodies for the further consideration of the application in the Philippines of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and of the principles of freedom of association. These bodies will examine this information at their up-coming meetings in November-December 2009 and March 2010 and their reports will be issued in the first quarter of 2010 and will be made available on the ILO website.

  3. High Level ILO mission to the Philippines on Convention No. 87 Freedom of Association and Right to Organize

    17 September 2009

    A High Level Mission of the ILO will visit the Philippines from 22-29 September 2009 to review matters relating to the application in law and in practice of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention (No. 87), 1948, which the Philippines ratified in 1953.

  4. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares April 21 to May 1 'ILO Week'

    17 April 2009

    President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared April 21 to May 1, 2009 as International Labor Organization (ILO) Week.

  5. Economic crisis response must support jobs, SMEs, vulnerable sector, ILO meeting concludes

    23 February 2009

    Delegates representing workers, employers and ministries of finance, planning and labour from Asia and the Pacific suggested policies and measures to be urgently put in place to mitigate the expected severe impact of the global financial and economic crisis on economies in the region, and to stimulate a more rapid, more equitable and sustainable recovery.

  6. Asia-Pacific countries meet to discuss responses to global economic crisis

    18 February 2009

    Ministries of labour and finance, senior UN, World Bank and government officials, workers and employers representatives from more than 10 Asia and the Pacific countries are meeting in Manila this week to discuss effective responses to the current economic crisis.

2006

  1. Government of Japan and United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security contribute nearly $2 million for Economic and Social Empowerment

    26 April 2006

    The Government of Japan and the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security confirm new funding of nearly 212 million yen to help returned victims of human trafficking in the Philippines and Thailand.

2005

  1. ILO Director’s visit applauded

    08 February 2005

    Vanuatu officials have spoken highly about the visit of Sub-Regional ILO Office Director for Asia and Pacific based in Manila, Philippines, Mr Werner Konrad Blenk recently. The main purpose of Mr Blenk’s visit was to discuss with the Vanuatu government through the ministry of Internal Affairs who is responsible for Labour and ILO matters on Vanuatu’s commitment to the ILO after becoming a member of this important organization in 2003.