Security forces sector supports freedom of association
BUTUAN CITY -- The security forces sector in Caraga expressed its commitment to respect and protect the right of workers and employers to freedom of association (FOA).
Uniformed personnel, including the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army (PA), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), members of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), recently attended a capacity-building session conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Caraga held at the Pavilion Watergate in Butuan City.
DOLE Regional Director Joffrey M. Suyao discussed the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 87 or the “Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize,” and ILO Convention 98 or the “Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention.” He emphasized the fundamental right of all workers and employers to form and join organizations of their choosing without needing prior approval from authorities.
Atty. Ralphmar M. Oñez of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Caraga, on the other hand, stressed that freedom of association is among the most important human rights designed to protect peoples’ ability to come together and work for the common good.
During the open forum, representatives from the uniformed personnel expressed their full support for DOLE’s program of promoting a common understanding among workers, employers and state actors of the right to freedom of association. All stakeholders must collaborate in taking positive measures to establish and maintain an enabling environment for associations to enjoy their basic and core human rights. (Karen Kie Decamotan, DOLE-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
