GENEVA-On World Day of Social Justice, 20 February 2024, the Philippines deposited the instrument of ratification of the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) , with the Deputy Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

By depositing the instrument of ratification, the Philippines becomes the 38th country in the world, and the first Asian country, to ratify Convention No. 190.

Convention No. 190 is the first international labour standard to address violence and harassment in the world of work comprehensively.

Together with Recommendation No. 206, it establishes a framework for action, fostering a future of work grounded in dignity and respect.

These instruments align with the objectives outlined in the ILO Centenary Declaration on the Future of Work, emphasizing a workplace free from violence and harassment, and supporting a human-centered recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

The Convention affirms the fundamental right of individuals to a workplace free from violence and harassment.

It introduces the first globally recognized definition of workplace violence and harassment, offering protection to all individuals in the workforce, including interns, apprentices, and those with employer duties or authority.

This protection extends across various sectors, including public and private, formal and informal economies, and urban and rural areas.

Furthermore, the Convention mandates member states to adopt, in consultation with representative employers’ and workers’ organizations, inclusive, gender-responsive strategies for preventing and eradicating workplace violence and harassment.

This approach includes prevention, protection, and enforcement measures, as well as remedies, guidance, training, and awareness-raising initiatives.

Acknowledging the distinct roles of governments, employers, workers, and their organizations, the Convention emphasizes the importance of social dialogue and tripartism in implementing these measures at the national level.

During the ceremony held at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, the Undersecretary (Vice Minister) for Labour and Employment, M. Ernesto Bitonio stated: “The Philippines recognizes that as the First international instrument to institutionalize the “right to a world of work-free from violence and Harassment” as a specific right, convention 190 breaks new ground in the boldness of its scope and ambition. Where it speaks of a “right in the world of work,” it transcends the traditional boundaries of physical spaces, territory and geography, of formal and Informal work arrangements, of urban and rural communities, of corporate halls and households.

It embraces a world expanded by technology and at the same time brought tighter by it, and where very often men and women find their work, their family and social lives, and all other affairs of ordinary life increasingly fused and intertwined.

Above all these, the convention ultimately calls upon us to agree on a baseline of acceptable behavior that respects every worker equally as a human being who has full freedom to choose and pursue the things that society values whatever [their] status, capabilities and sector are.”

Upon receiving the instrument of ratification for Convention No. 190, ILO Deputy Director-General, Celeste Drake, stated: “The ILO welcomes the ratification of Convention No. 190 by the Philippines. This ratification marks an important step to preventing and eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work. It is time to make workplaces free from violence and harassment a reality everywhere, promoting and realizing social justice for all. (PR)

ORMOC CITY-Personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard recovered 700 reams of undocumented cigarettes while conducting random inspection of a closed van heading to Luzon around 1:30 pm on Tuesday (Feb.20) at the Santa Clara Port in Allen town, Northern Samar.

The cigarettes were found loaded in a closed aluminum van, a six-wheeler Elf, driven by Argie Labrador, 27, from Pasig City, with helper Baltazar Noceto, 29, from Santa Elena, Daet, Camarines Norte, bearing plate number AKA-9661.

According to Lieutenant Junior Grade Byan Michael Tuyay’s of the Coast Guard, personnel from their station were conducting random inspections of vehicles bound for Luzon.

When they requested the driver of the closed van to open the back door, they discovered several large packs (cartons). Upon inspecting one of the packs, they were astonished to find reams of cigarettes inside.

Tuyay further stated that Coast Guard personnel conducting the inspection immediately requested the driver to provide the necessary permits and legal documents for the cargo, but none were produced, prompting them to seize and conduct an inventory of the intercepted items.

The seized cigarettes comprised 400 reams of Black Hawk Platinum Cigarettes, 200 reams of Platinum Cigarettes, and 100 reams of Canon Menthol Cigarettes, originating from Zamboanga City and destined for Oas, Albay. The estimated value of the cigarettes is P1.2 million.

The local Coast Guard has coordinated with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Region 8 for the necessary documentation, proper inventory, and handling of the seized items. (ROBERT DEJON)

BORONGAN CITY-A total of 4,968 rice farmers from seven municipalities in Eastern Samar, namely Jipapad, Arteche, Dolores, Oras, Sulat, Can-avid, and Maslog, received financial assistance during the distribution of the Universal Storefront Services Corporation (USSC) network account card from January 31 to February 8, 2024.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved financial assistance worth P12.7 billion through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) collections last year. The amount was distributed among 2.3 million small rice farmers, each receiving P5,000 under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program.

The program aims to mitigate the impact of Executive Order No. 39, which mandates the price ceiling on regular and well-milled rice, to benefit small rice farmers.

Francis Rosaroso, the agricultural program coordinator of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the region, has revealed that the RCEF program operates under Republic Act 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

Based on this law, revenues collected from rice tariffs should be utilized to fund the yearly requirement of P10 billion for the RCEF. The funds will be used to finance programs and projects to enhance the competitiveness and output of palay farmers.

In 2022, the government generated an income of P18 billion from the RTL, and more than P23 billion was generated in 2023.

Rosaroso mentioned that the DA Eastern Visayas has been allocated a budget of P772 million for 2023 for the RFFA program, which will be distributed to small rice farmers. The stated amount exceeds the 2022 budget, which was only P532 million.

“The said amount becomes much bigger because for this year, we have newly-registered rice farmers,” Rosaroso said.

Virgilio Capon, the provincial head of the Office of Agricultural Services, mentioned that the government has allocated multiple subsidies for the rice-producing provinces under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

He mentioned that although Eastern Samar is not among the major rice-producing provinces, it was still allocated a budget due to insufficient rice production.

“Governor Ben P. Evardone lobbied at the DA-Central Office in Manila to include Eastern Samar as a beneficiary of the billions of funds from the tariff. This is why Eastern Samar was allocated this financial assistance,” Capon said.

Carpon added that to qualify for the program, a farmer must possess a tilled rice land measuring approximately 2 hectares, even if he is not the landowner. He must prove that he is cultivating a rice field and is registered in the DA’s Registry System on Basic Sector of Agriculture (RSBSA).

Francis Rosaroso, the Agricultural Program Coordinating Head and the representative of Governor Ben P. Evardone, along with Vice-Governor Maricar Sison-Goteesan, Board Members Atty. Byron M. Suyot, RV Evardone, and OPAS Chief Virlin Capon led the financial distribution.
(AAC/SDC/PIA-Eastern Samar)