Social protection: An island’s lifeline against disaster

SIARGAO ISLAND, Philippines (ILO News) – On an island where their daily income depends on good health and calm weather, Jenly Javeles is worried that sickness, accidents and deadly storms can tear apart her family’s future.

The 29-year-old homemaker, and Barangay Nutrition Scholar manages their home while her husband earns a fluctuating income as a construction worker to support their three young children.

A personal and financial crisis led her to advocate for social protection. Before she had full coverage, the hospital bill for her first childbirth was painfully high. It showed her just how risky to solely rely on informal income when faced with unexpected expenses.

When she gave birth to her youngest child, she was covered by health insurance with support from PhilHealth and the local government.

“For me, social protection a very big, big help like PhilHealth. My hospital bills were covered when I gave birth. The medicines we bought outside the hospital were even reimbursed,” Jenly recalls.

Her commitment to social protection grew even stronger when her brother-in-law was injured and uninsured. Jenly quickly registered him for PhilHealth, allowing him to receive medical assistance.

For her, it proved that knowing how to access these social protection services and acting fast can make all the difference in a crisis.

Jenly's perspective further shifted when she joined the pilot run of the new Social Protection Guide. The International Labour Organization (ILO) supported the development of the guide and the Training of Trainers (ToT).

© Minette Rimando/ILO

© Minette Rimando/ILO

The training helped build local capacity among leaders like Jenly, equipping them to promote regular social security benefits, contributions and registration among informal workers. Jenly became involved through her role in the barangay.

For workers in fisheries and agriculture, the risk is not just illness, but environmental disaster. Jenly considered this important due to climate change, after powerful storms hit their hometown, including Super Typhoon Odette.

“During the strong typhoons that hit our area, when almost nothing was left for the entire community, the Social Security System (SSS) and Pag-IBIG membership offered a crucial financial lifeline for recovery,” she shared.

For families whose livelihoods depend on unpredictable income from construction, farming, and fishing like Jenly, social protection is more than a safety net but a means of survival. It is essential to weather both personal and natural disasters.

Developing the Social Protection Guide is vital as recent crises from the pandemic to floods and typhoons have revealed the vulnerability of informal work.

© Minette Rimando/ILO

© Minette Rimando/ILO

The ILO’s Formalization of the Informal Economy Project developed the guide with funding from the Governments of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden through the Regular Budget Supplementary Account (RBSA).

“In areas affected by strong typhoons and climate change, and where informal workers rely on daily income to survive, social protection is more than a policy but a lifeline. It ensures stability and upholds their dignity in times of calamity. It also ensures that no one is left behind when crisis strikes or life shocks hit,” said Khalid Hassan, Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines.

The Del Carmen Municipal Agriculture and Fisheries Office (MAFO) is now putting the Guide into action, using it to train and mobilize local workers across the island. The initiative equips communities with the tools to navigate economic instability and build resilience.

Through the empowerment of local communities and champions like Jenly, the initiative aims to ensure that informal economy workers across Siargao have access to social protection coverage needed to secure their health, income, and future, even as the challenges of climate change and life crises persist.