The Philippines has a well-established tripartite system. The ILO has on-going relations with the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (TIPC) spearheaded by the Department of Labour and Employment, which is also active in reviewing issues relating to industrial relations and employment, among others. Other ILO initiatives assisting tripartite constituents are mentioned in the succeeding sections on workers, employers and government.

The current Secretary of the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) is Ms. Patricia A. Sto. Tomas who presided over the ILC of 2001. She is assisted by three Undersecretaries covering three clusters: Mr. Manuel Imson on Employment Promotion and Manpower Development, Mr. Josephus Jimenez on Labour Relations, and Mr. Danilo Cruz on Workers' Welfare and Protection.

The Philippines is a member of the ILO since 1948. The Philippine Government is a Deputy Member of the Governing Body. The late Mr. Blas F. Ople presided over the ILC in 1975, Former Labour and Employment Secretary Nieves Confesor chaired the ILO Governing Body in 1994 and has been appointed by the Governing Body as one of the Expert-Advisers on the ILO Declaration.

ILO’s collaboration with DOLE is varied and numerous. Different DOLE bureaus and divisions were actively involved in consultations, discussions and workshops on relevant issues such as the Philippine Labour Index, informal sector, women workers, overseas employment and child labour.

ILO has excellent relations with employers, represented by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), an affiliate of IOE, ACE and CAPE. ECOP was established on 10 September 1975 following a decision by the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (CCP) and the Philippine Chamber of Manufacturers (PCI)) to get their respective committees on labor and employment to work together. It has since remained independent of the two chambers, despite their subsequent merger to form the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI). ECOP uses its strong links with other chambers of commerce and industry associations to extend its activities to the wider business community.

ECOP continues to participate actively in the DW Country Programme and has been a major recipient of ILO assistance through technical cooperation programmes, which support strengthening of ECOP’s research and advocacy division, general capacity building and training programmes, providing assistance to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Division and information to its policy making arms, etc. In particular, ECOP has been assisted in supporting SME’s, taking forward the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, addressing the needs of women entrepreneurs, supporting Youth Employment programmes, and encouraging ECOP members in applying fundamental principles and rights at work, equal employment opportunities and addressing HIV/AIDS concerns at the workplace, inter alia. The 25th national conference of ECOP held in April 2004 produced a tripartite+ "social covenant" that declared the commitment of the signatories to "job creation, economic recovery, and industrial harmony.”

ILO maintains equally good relations with the trade unions and pursues a balanced collaborative approach, in the context of their diversity and sizeable numbers. There are four officially registered trade union centers in the Philippines. Around 700 national trade unions and/or industrial federations, both in the private and public sector, are registered.

Workers are represented mainly by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), which is an affiliate of the ICFTU and ICFTU-APRO, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), which is an affiliate of WCL and BATU, Trade Unions of the Philippines and Allied Services (TUPAS), Lakas Manggagawa Labor Center (LMLC), the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) and others. There are also several independent trade unions, like the Pambansang Diwa ng Manggagawang Pilipino (PDMP), the National Confederation of Labour (NCL), the National Federation of Labour Unions (NAFLU), the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Philippine Society Labour Unions (PSSLU), etc. In an attempt to consolidate the trade union movement, some major trade union confederations have joined to form the Labour Solidarity Movement (LSM).

Both TUCP and FFW are members of the National Tripartite Advisory Committee for Decent Work, which may be further expanded in future to respond to appeals by other trade union organizations. ILO assistance to the trade unions include strengthening union organizing programmes and activities, combating child labour, addressing HIV/AIDS and gender issues by promoting gender equality and preventiving sexual harassment, encouraging social dialogue, and supporting trade union outreaches to the informal sector, migrant and domestic workers. The concerns articulated in the Decent Work Country Programme for the Philippines would be the focus of ILO technical cooperation with the workers’ organizations.