Feature articles

2012

1. Breaking the barriers: Young women in non-traditionaltechnical vocational careers

   26 November 2012

   The role of women as co-equal partners in development has gained much ground in the Philippines. To fully mainstream gender equality in a society that bears traces of a stereotypically macho culture requires further advocacy and attitude change especially among people in culturally segregated and rural communities.

2. Entrepreneurship education at the secondary level in Antique and Masbate

   21 November 2012

   "The assistance that the Joint Programme provided to our school has helped us in a big way especially in reducing the student dropout rate. It also has a strong effect in making entrepreneurship education more relevant to the needs of students." This was Rodolfo Caberoy’s summation of his experience with the Joint Programme’s interventions in his home province of Antique in the last three years.

3. Antique in the spotlight: Local economic development to create youth employment

   23 October 2012

   In the Philippines, a great number of young people cannot find work. According to the 2011 data from the National Statistics Office, almost half of unemployed were young workers aged 15-24 years.

4. Technical vocational training in Maguindanao: Harnessing the local pool of talent through skills trainings

   17 September 2012

   6 June 2012 was a red letter day for Jonell Venancio. He got up bright and chirpy that morning anticipating the afternoon’s activities in which he was slated to formally graduate from his training course.

5. 

   Domestic work is no longer a “domestic issue”

   05 September 2012

   The ratification of ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers by the Philippines this week breaks new ground in extending basic labour rights to the nearly 100 million of domestic workers worldwide. We look at what it will mean for these workers when the Convention comes into force next year.

6. Technical vocational training in Antique: Enhancing on-the-job training and post-training services

   30 August 2012

   It is a sad but common fact that not all young people who have gone through technical vocational training or college education are able to find jobs. Some of them are not able to find any job and this is especially true for people in localities with a labour market characterized by mismatches between available jobs and skills, among others.

7. 

   Building disaster-resilient communities in the Philippines

   29 August 2012

   Helping disaster survivors get back to work and support their families is a vital part of rebuilding lives and communities. At the same time these programmes – such as that run for survivors of Tropical Storm Washi in the Philippines - can help people learn new skills, so opening up new opportunities for the future. By Minette Rimando, Information Officer, ILO Country Office in the Philippines.

8. Antique’s disadvantaged youth shows that entrepreneurship is an option

   28 August 2012

   Early trials and life lessons have led 22-year old Ian Lester Diana to an emotional maturity not common for his age. Ian Lester hails from a fishing village in Anini-y, the southernmost town of Antique province in the central Philippine island of Panay.

9. “Soap of life: micro soap production provides more than bread and butter for families” (Success story of a youth entrepreneur)

   28 August 2012

   One of the sixty (60) recipients of Starter Kits of the Labor Market-Responsive Entrepreneurship Training Programme in the Province of Maguindanao is a 22 year-old out-of-school youth and a resident of Old Maganoy, Datu Abdullah Sangki, 2nd District Maguindanao.

10. "I can and I will: great things come in good and bad ways…" (Success story of a youth entrepreneur)

    28 August 2012

    “The world is round” has been a cliché since time immemorial but we seldom realize its truth unless we experience it ourselves. Nasef is just one of the many who could say that this cliché applies in real life.

11. 

    On course for decent shipping

    20 August 2012

    When the ILO adopted the Maritime Labour Convention in February 2006, Director-General Juan Somavia called it “making labour history”. Following the ratification by Russia and the Philippines, the Convention will come into force in 12 months’ time. What does this mean for the world’s 1.2 million seafarers?

12. 

    The coop that helps to weave dreams

    08 August 2012

    A cooperative in the Philippines goes beyond lending money to indigenous people – it equips them with the skills they need to improve their businesses.

13. 

    Philippines: Boosting entrepreneurship to ease jobs crisis

    16 July 2012

    One third of the Philippines population live in poverty, and thousands head out every day to work abroad. The ILO is promoting entrepreneurship as an alternative to hard-to-get wage jobs and migration.

14. Technical vocational training in Masbate: Keeping the dream alive for Masbate’s disadvantaged youth

    01 July 2012

    Perhaps the greatest frustration of being a youth growing up in disadvantaged circumstances is aspiring for a career and being shot down even before one has been given the opportunity to take off.

15. 

    Life After Europe: A fresh start for migrant workers in their homeland the Philippines

    25 June 2012

    Migrant workers sometimes find overseas work not what was promised or expected. The ILO with support from the European Commission runs programmes to assist returned migrant workers from Europe. Ms Ignacio and Ms Myra Geron returned home from Romania and are prospering with their own businesses in the Philippines. By Allan Dow, Regional Unit for Partnership, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

16. 

    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.