ILOILO City – To bolster the fight against child labor, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 6 brought together key stakeholders in a regional consultation and workshop to review and update the guidelines on hazardous work involving minors.
The recent event focused on revisiting Department Order No. 149, Series of 2016, or the “Guidelines in Assessing and Determining Hazardous Work in the Employment of Persons Below 18 Years of Age.” This order, anchored on Republic Act No. 9231 and the Labor Code of the Philippines, prohibits employing individuals under 18 in work that may be harmful to their health, safety, or development.
Under Philippine laws, child labor refers to “any work or economic activity performed by a child that subjects them to any form of exploitation or is harmful to their health and safety, or physical, mental, or psychosocial development.”
It includes employment of children below 15 years old, except when under the sole responsibility of parents or guardians and where only family members are employed, provided it does not endanger the child’s life, health, or morals, and does not interfere with their education.
Representatives from the DOLE-Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the National Council Against Child Labor (NCACL), local government units, civil society groups, and the Technical Working Group participated in the policy review and discussion.
The consultation aimed to assess the current list of hazardous work prohibited for minors and to update policies to reflect emerging labor conditions and challenges.
“Malayo na ang ating narating, pero malayo pa ang dapat nating puntahan, and that is the reason why you are here,” said Atty. Benjo Santos Benavidez, DOLE undersecretary for the Workers’ Welfare and Protection Cluster, as he urged a more intensive campaign to protect children’s welfare.
The inputs from the workshop will be used in drafting a revised version of the Department Order, which is expected to serve as a crucial tool in enforcing child labor laws more effectively, particularly in hazardous industries.
This initiative complements the implementation of DOLE’s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP), which continues to push for the protection and welfare of working children across the country./PN
