How can Philippine’s national legislation incorporate international labour standards in the fishing and seafood processing sectors?

A virtual forum was convened by Ship to Shore Right Southeast Asia on 29 November 2021 with members of the National Project Advisory Committee and other relevant constituents and social partners in the Philippines to serve as an open forum and learning platform on areas of conformity, ambiguity and non-conformity between Philippine national legislation and the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C188). Additionally, the forum highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the Philippine regulatory regime as a labour-sending State, with emphasis on protections available to Filipino migrant fishers vis-à-vis international standards. By highlighting areas that reflect and diverge between national legislation and international labour standards, the forum identified potential gaps that can be worked on to improve Philippine’s labour laws in the sectors.