The Bangsamoro region is taking an important step to finalize its first-ever labor code before its plenary submission, which will address decent work challenges and support peacebuilding efforts.
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MANILA, July 23, 2025 (ILO News) — In a historic move to promote decent work and strengthen labor market governance, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is moving closer to finalize a comprehensive labor code aimed at promoting decent work, social justice, and sustainable development.
The proposed legal framework, known as the Bangsamoro Labor and Employment Code (BLEC), is expected to institutionalize an inclusive, rights-based approach to labor governance across the region to support its peacebuilding efforts. Moreover, the BLEC aims to address persistent labor market challenges in BARMM, including high rates of informal and seasonal work, child labor, and youth migration due to limited decent work opportunities.
“BARMM is the result of a peace process that spanned decades. I have personally witnessed how fragile peace can be and how conflict has deeply affected the lives of people, especially the most vulnerable,” said BARMM Member of Parliament (MP) Alindatu Pagayao, chairperson of the Committee on Labor and Employment of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament. “Conflict does not only take life — it deprives people of the right to dream, right to live with dignity, and right to decent work.”
Pagayao emphasized that the BLEC is a cornerstone of the region’s transition. “As we move into this crucial period, we carry the responsibility of upholding moral governance. We are tasked with building frameworks that will transform the gains of peace into concrete and lasting reforms. One of these is the BLEC.”
The BLEC has been named as a priority legislative measure by BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua as the region prepares for its first-ever parliamentary elections on 13 October 2025. Finalizing and enacting the labor code will demonstrate the region’s commitment to decent work, participatory governance, and lasting peace. It is now aligned with the leadership’s shared legislative calendar.
A three-day dialogue and writeshop on the BLEC, supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), is currently underway in Manila from 22 to 24 July2025. It is the final step before the plenary submission.
Originally filed by MP Romeo Sema and refiled in the Second Parliament in 2022, the BLEC has undergone extensive consultations, public hearings, and technical reviews.
Dialogue and writeshop to finalize draft of Bangsamoro Labor Code
The ongoing dialogue and writeshop aim to align the draft with constitutional and International Labour Standards, resolve remaining technical issues, and build consensus among legislators, labor experts, employers, and civil society.
“The BLEC stands as an important milestone for BARMM. It is more than a legal instrument, it is a statement of commitment to decent work, social justice, and inclusive growth for all workers and employers in the region,” said Director Khalid Hassan of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines. “Without a local labor code, the region cannot attract investments, build institutions, or achieve industrialization to create jobs. And without jobs, lasting peace will remain out of reach.”
The ILO played a pivotal role in the development of the BLEC, offering technical guidance and convening key partners and stakeholders through a series of dialogues and consultations, which lawyer. Rebecca Chato facilitated. The journey began with a comprehensive needs assessment of the region’s labor administration and inspection system.
The WFD has also contributed to support the ongoing dialogue and writeshop. “We reaffirm our commitment to standing alongside the Bangsamoro Government, in support of its ongoing transition towards a more inclusive, accountable, and democratic future for the Bangsamoro people,” said Sittie Almira Amolan, Programme Coordinator of WFD Bangsamoro. “We trust that the process will be truly responsive to the region’s socioeconomic force, our labor sector, and together we will be able to shape the BLEC that not only protects the rights of workers but advances the principles of social justice and inclusive development.”
The ongoing dialogue and writeshop is expected to produce a final draft of the BLEC and a documentation report of the deliberations and revisions. Once enacted, the BLEC will serve as a foundation for stronger labor protections, better livelihoods, and a more resilient, prosperous and peaceful Bangsamoro. (/)