2025-11-27

MARAWI CITY (PIA) — The Bangsamoro Parliament approved the Bangsamoro Labor and Employment Code (BLEC) on third and final reading on Nov. 12, establishing the region’s first comprehensive labor framework on wages, workplace safety, and workers’ rights.

MARAWI CITY (PIA) — The Bangsamoro Parliament approved the Bangsamoro Labor and Employment Code (BLEC) on third and final reading on Nov. 12, establishing the region’s first comprehensive labor framework on wages, workplace safety, and workers’ rights. All 39 members present voted in favor of the measure, with no abstentions or objections. Filed as BTA Bill No. 59, the legislation was certified as urgent by Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, enabling its approval a day after it passed on second reading. The BLEC was authored by Members of Parliament Romeo Sema, Raissa Jajurie, Jose Lorena, Nabil Tan, Randolph Parcasio, Lanang Ali Jr., John Anthony Lim, Alindatu Pagayao, and former MPs Paisalin Tago and Eddie Alih. It is listed as a priority measure under the Macacua administration. Principal author Sema said the passage of the BLEC fulfills the Bangsamoro Government’s commitment to moral governance, and that the legislation is intended to provide workers not only employment, but “a crucial safeguard for the future of the Bangsamoro.” “The BLEC incorporates the cultural rights and several labor reforms that are not yet enacted at a national level, such as the right to disconnect, Employment Transition Assistance (ETA), and streamline labor justice administration mechanisms, and compliance with International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 138 on the minimum age for employment,” Sema said in an interview on the BTA’s Talakayang Parlyamento radio program. Sema said the code must reflect and uphold the dignity of the Bangsamoro workforce. “In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, we have our own narrative and our own concept. […] This will be our legacy. We crafted this bill to improve the lives of our workers, give them decent work, improve economic living conditions, and uplift them,” he said. The measure sets labor policies intended to protect workers, promote employment and support human resource development in the region. Regional code for employment standards The new code establishes standards for employment, workers’ welfare, and dispute resolution, and aligns national labor laws with Bangsamoro culture, faith and socio-economic conditions. Under the code, the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE) is granted wider authority to regulate recruitment, set minimum wages, monitor workplace safety and manage labor disputes through the newly formed Bangsamoro Labor Conciliation and Arbitration Board (BLCAB). Committee on Labor and Employment Chair MP Alindatu Pagayao said the BLCAB is intended to make labor dispute mechanisms more accessible. The BLEC includes provisions for workers’ welfare and introduces safeguards for persons with disabilities, senior citizens and informal workers. These include access to social protection, livelihood programs and government benefits. The code recognizes religious and cultural practices, providing for prayer breaks, flexible work hours during Ramadan and up to 30 days of unpaid leave for Hajj or Umrah. It expands leave benefits to include bereavement, quarantine and gynecological leave, and requires workplaces to provide lactation stations and child-minding areas. The code also introduces a “right to disconnect,” stating that employees may not be penalized for ignoring work-related messages sent beyond office hours. Employers must set guidelines on after-hours communication; otherwise, MOLE’s default rules will apply. Employers are also required to prevent gender-based harassment and comply with unannounced MOLE inspections. MOLE is expected to begin public consultations on the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). Local government units will prepare to establish Public Employment Service Offices in each province, city and municipality to support access to jobs and employment services across BARMM. Once implemented, the BLEC will serve as the primary labor law in the region, with the national Labor Code applying only in areas not covered by the regional code. The Parliament said the measure is part of broader efforts to strengthen regional institutions and align Bangsamoro governance with principles of social justice and moral governance. (BIO/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)