ILO chief to visit PH, to meet Marcos

The head of the International Labor Organization (ILO) will visit the Philippines next week and meet President Bongbong Marcos to raise issues on social and economic inequalities and foster workers’ welfare and rights.

In his four-day trip from June 25 to 28, ILO director general Gilbert Houngbo will push for a “new social contract” that would ensure decent working conditions and address “growing inequalities and persistent poverty.”

In a statement on Friday, ILO said this would be done through the creation of a “Global Coalition for Social Justice.”

Houngbo has been advocating a coalition which, he said, “will create a platform” for international bodies and stakeholders to “position social justice as the keystone of the global recovery, so that it is prioritized in national, regional and global policies and actions.”

ILO said it will be Houngbo’s first official visit to the country since assuming his post in October last year.

His visit also coincides with the Philippines’ 75th anniversary as a member of the ILO.

The ILO head will also meet Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, and other government officials.

The Philippines became a member of the ILO on June 15, 1948.

—Kathleen de Villa

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