Feature articles

2012

1. 

   After the storm: Rebuilding livelihoods in the Philippines

   02 February 2012

   Natural disasters destroy livelihoods but the aftermath also offers opportunities to create jobs and revitalise the economy as there will be high demand for construction and other recovery works. For the last ten years, the ILO has engaged in post-disaster reconstruction in countries in Asia and the Pacific, including China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and beyond. So the Organization was also prepared to help when tropical storm Washi heavily affected villages and major cities in the Philippines last December. Minette Rimando from the ILO office in Manila reports.

2011

1. 

   The dreamweaver of Lake Sebu

   02 December 2011

   Story of Subi Nalon, the seventy-five-year-old inherited the skill from her mother and has been weaving t'nalak since he was 15.

2. Philippines’ fight against hazardous child labour goes on-line

   12 June 2011

   (Manila, Philippines) Rodel Morcozo, a former child labour, now works for Senator Loren Legarda and is a strong advocate against child labour. To fight against child labour, the Philippines launched an internet site-- Child Labor Knowledge Sharing System. By Minette Rimando, Information Officer, ILO Country Office for the Philippines

2010

1. 

   Saving for the future, protecting migrant workers and their families

   01 July 2010

   In the Philippines, migrant workers are covered by insurance but coverage excludes their family members. Often savings are used up when family members suffer from illness or die. Pioneer Life created an Overseas Filipino Workers Savers and Wellness Club to provide access to microinsurance and savings products. The ILO’s Communication officer Minette Rimando reports.

2. 

   Media for Labour Rights 2010 reporting award. "Filipino domestic workers : the struggle for justice and survival"

   18 June 2010

   The Third Annual Media for Labour Rights feature-writing prize has been awarded to Nina Corpuz, a journalist from the Philippines, for an article on domestic workers and the threats of trafficking and abuse that they face. The award is given by the ILO's International Training Centre in Turin.

2009

1. 

   Climate change in Asia: while awareness is increasing, the water is rising

   06 October 2009

   As global awareness on climate change increases, some regions of the world are already suffering from its consequences. In one such area in the Philippines, the ILO has launched a new project to lessen the impact of changing weather patterns on the local economy. This experience illustrates the challenge of adapting to climate change which will be one of the items on the agenda of Climate Change Talks involving 2,500 participants in Bangkok until 9 October to prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. The ILO’s Communication officer Minette Rimando reports.

2. Climate change in Jabonga, Philippines - the water is already rising

   24 September 2009

   Gingging Poyo cuddles her baby after a day’s work. The 31-year-old mother is part of the maintenance staff of a lake resort in Jabonga. “I grew up in this place so I decided to settle here with my family,” she says. Jabonga, a town in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines, seems to have many natural advantages to offer a young family: a view of mountains, rock formations, underwater caves, waterfalls, diving sites and a fresh water lake. However, changing weather trends in Jabonga are affecting many residents, including Gingging and her family.

3. 

   Girls in gold-mining: “I don’t want my children to be like me”

   10 June 2009

   Over 18,000 girls and boys are engaged in mining and quarrying in the Philippines. For many generations, the search for gold in small-scale mining has been a means of survival for poor families. Girls in such work are particularly vulnerable. Minette Rimando, ILO press officer in Manila, wrote this report for ILO Online.

2008

1. 

   9 August – International Day of the World’s Indigenous People 2008 – Organizing out of poverty: indigenous peoples in the Philippines

   07 August 2008

   There are more than 5,000 different indigenous peoples living in some 70 countries in the world. About 70 per cent of them are in Asia and the Pacific, mostly in rural areas. They often lack control over land and resources and face high levels of discrimination and poverty. ILO Online reports from the Philippines where indigenous peoples were able to organize themselves to have a stronger voice.

2. 

   Getting out of the mud: how the ILO helps typhoon victims in the Philippines

   27 March 2008

   In 2006, the Bicol region of the Philippines was hit by two typhoons affecting more than 200,000 families. A recent ILO mission to the country revealed that 30 per cent of the workers concerned were unemployed and many more in precarious jobs. Last February, the ILO opened a livelihood center in the region which is part of a capacity building programme for the victims. ILO staff member Minette Rimando reports from Manila.

2007

1. 

   Feature story from the Philippines: Making future harvests without child labour

   11 June 2007

   Seventy per cent of the world’s working children are in agriculture. From tending cattle to harvesting crops, handling dangerous machinery and spraying pesticides, over 132 million children aged 5 to 14 help produce the food we eat and the clothes we wear. Minette Rimando who works for the ILO’s Subregional Office in Manila reports from the Philippines.

2. 

   Role Reversal: When it comes to who works the longest hours, many Philippine women are the global exception

   08 June 2007

   A new ILO study says men average longer working hours in paid work than women in almost every country around the world for which data are available. The sole exception to this pattern is the Philippines where employed women were two to three times more likely than men to work exceptionally long hours of over 64 hours per week. Minette Rimando of the ILO’s Subregional Office in Manila reports from the Philippines.