30/04/2026
PRESS STATEMENT: ๐๐๐๐โ๐
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐
๐ข๐ฏ๐-๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฒ
The National Anti-Poverty Commission โ Formal Labor and Migrant Workers Sectoral Council (NAPCโFLMWSC) welcomes the long-overdue issuance of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11551, otherwise known as Labor Education Act, five years after its enactment.
While this development is a step in the right direction, the delay underscores the urgent need to prioritize labor education as a critical component of workersโ empowerment and national development.
According to Sectoral Representative Danilo Laserna, labor education is not merely an academic requirementโit is a vital tool that enables workers, particularly the youth, to understand their rights and responsibilities under the Labor Code of the Philippines and other social legislations, and to actively participate in building fair, safe, and just workplaces. In the context of rising precarious employment and evolving labor arrangements, equipping workers with knowledge is essential to ensuring that rights are not only guaranteed but effectively exercised, he added.
The NAPCโFLMWSC emphasizes that the effectiveness of the IRR will depend on its immediate, faithful, and adequately funded implementation. We call on concerned government agencies, educational institutions, and stakeholders to ensure that labor education is meaningfully integrated into curricula at all levels, including technical-vocational and higher education.
Moreover, labor education must go beyond theoretical instruction. It should include practical components such as understanding workplace rights and grievance mechanisms; promoting occupational safety and health; strengthening awareness of social protection systems; and encouraging responsible and informed participation in labor relations.
The Council further underscores that labor education plays a crucial role in poverty reduction, as it empowers workers to secure better employment conditions, assert their rights, and avoid exploitation.
As we welcome this milestone, the Council urges the government to ensure that the IRR does not remain a mere policy issuance, but translates into concrete, accessible, and impactful programs that reach workers across sectors, including those in the informal economy and migrant workforce. After five years of delay, workers cannot afford further inaction.
