Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2588
Introduced by HON. JORGE DANIEL S. BOCOBO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Jobs are the foundation of human development.  It provides individuals with income and 
dignity, and enables families to secure food, education, and health care and to plan for the 
future.  At the macro level, when almost everyone is employed, families spend more, 
businesses grow, tax revenues rise, and fewer people need government aid. 
The United Nations recognizes this link in Sustainable Development Goal 8, which calls on all 
countries to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and 
productive employment and decent work for all.” It is likewise embedded in the 1987 
Constitution, which compels the State to ensure full employment and equal job opportunities, 
and safeguard workers’ rights and welfare. 
Over the years, the Philippine Government has taken steps to improve labor conditions by 
reviewing minimum wages, strengthening workplace safety standards, expanding social-
protection programs, and enhancing skills development and employment services through 
closer coordination among national agencies, local governments, employers, and workers.   
While these initiatives reflect a commitment to fostering decent work and inclusive growth 
nationwide. significant gaps remain.  In many regions wages still lag behind the true cost of 
living. Unemployment, underemployment, and informal jobs keep too many families on the 
edge. Vulnerable groups, such as women, youth, migrant workers, and those in the informal 
economy, continue to face systemic disadvantages.  Fragmented programs and overlapping 
mandates further weaken labor governance. 
The Executive-Legislative Labor Commission (LabCom) Act of 2025 offers a clearer, more 
coordinated path forward. It seeks to address these gaps through an institutional mechanism 
that places human capital and decent work at the center of socio-economic development. This 
proposal takes inspiration from the work of the First and Second Congressional Commissions 
on Education, or the EDCOMs I and II, bodies tasked to undertake a comprehensive national 
assessment and evaluation of the Philippine education sector. Specifically, the bill will: 
1. Create an Executive-Legislative Labor Commission composed of key lawmakers
and senior officials from labor, trade, planning, and migrant-worker portfolios,
supported by a multi-sectoral Labor Advisory Council, to serve as the principal
forum for evidence-based, whole-of-government labor policymaking.
2. Formulate and institutionalize a comprehensive National Labor Roadmap that
aligns with the Philippine Development Plan, the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act (RA
11962), and international labor standards.
July 30, 2025
9:06 am


3. Develop a nationwide framework for the progressive realization of a living wage,
ensuring that wage policies meet the basic needs of Filipino families while allowing
for savings and social-security contributions.
4. Provide regular, data-driven assessments through an annual State of Labor Report
to guide Congress and the Executive in crafting responsive legislation and
programs.
5. Strengthen inter-agency coordination and stakeholder engagement by convening
industry, employer, worker, migrant, MSME, and recruitment representatives under
one platform.
By unifying fragmented efforts and grounding policy decisions in rigorous analysis, the 
LabCom will enhance labor market governance, accelerate productivity growth, and protect 
the most vulnerable workers.  The proposed measure complements existing statutes—such 
as the Migrant Workers Act, the Wage Rationalization Act, and RA 11962—by supplying a 
coherent strategic vision and a single point of convergence for labor reforms. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
JORGE DANIEL S. BOCOBO 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2588 
Introduced by HON. JORGE DANIEL S. BOCOBO 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING AN EXECUTIVE-LEGISLATIVE LABOR COMMISSION TO IDENTIFY 
KEY CHALLENGES IN THE LABOR SECTOR, PROPOSE SOLUTIONS FOR THE 
ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONWIDE FRAMEWORK FOR A LIVING WAGE, AND 
INSTITUTIONALIZE A NATIONAL LABOR ROADMAP 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:  
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the "Executive-Legislative Labor 
Commission (LabCom) Act of 2025."  
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the declared policy of the State to afford full protection 
to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized, and promote full employment and 
equality of employment opportunities for all. It is likewise an established State policy to 
promote social justice in all phases of national development, enhance the rights of workers, 
and promote their welfare. 
Towards this end, the State shall strengthen the national framework and policies on living 
wages, enhance labor protection programs, and implement measures aimed at improving 
productivity, reducing unemployment and underemployment, and prioritizing the needs and 
concerns of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups within the labor sector. 
SEC. 3. Purpose and Objectives. – This Act shall ensure that human capital and labor will 
be at the center of the country’s socio-economic development. It aims to provide innovative, 
comprehensive, and strategic recommendations to address emerging and persistent issues 
and challenges in the labor sector.  
The objectives of this Act are as follows: 
a. Establish a coordinating advisory and policy-recommending body, composed of
members of the legislative branch and the labor sector, including those from the
worker, migrant, employer, and recruitment groups;
b. Strengthen and improve labor governance in the country and eliminate
fragmentation of policies and programs of relevant government agencies related
to workers’ rights, productivity, and employment opportunities; and
c.
Enhance and promote linkages among industry, business, and training institutions
and strengthen multi-stakeholder engagements and consultations that will compel


the adoption of fair, comprehensive, and evidence-based labor policies to improve 
labor outcomes, promote skills development, encourage innovation, and enhance 
the digital economy in the country. 
 
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. – For the effective implementation of this Act, the following 
terms are hereby defined: 
 
(a) Equality of Employment Opportunities refers to the guarantee that all persons, 
regardless of age, sex, gender, civil status, disability, ethnicity, religious belief, 
political affiliation, or any other distinction, exclusion or preference, shall be 
accorded fair and equal access to employment, promotion, training, terms and 
conditions of work, and other employment-related benefits, based solely on merit 
and capability, with the aim of obtaining decent and productive work in conditions 
of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. As defined herein, the term 
employment opportunities includes access to vocational training, access to 
employment and to particular occupations, and terms and conditions of 
employment; 
 
(b) Full Employment refers to an employment state wherein there is a promotion of 
"full, productive and freely chosen employment" by ensuring that there is: (i) work 
for all who are available for and seeking work; (ii) work which is as productive as 
possible; and (iii) work freely chosen by workers, who should have the fullest 
possibility to qualify and use their skills and endowments in a job for which they are 
well suited, through improved manpower training, allocation and utilization; 
 
(c) Informal Employment refers to all remunerative work that is not registered, 
regulated, or protected by existing legal or regulatory frameworks, as well as non-
remunerative work undertaken in an income-producing enterprise; 
 
(d) Living Wage refers to the wage level necessary to afford a decent standard of 
living for workers and their families, taking into account country circumstances and 
calculated for work performed during normal hours.  For purposes of this Act, the 
wage level necessary to afford a decent standard of living includes the amount of 
family income needed to provide for the family’s food and non-food expenditures 
with sufficient allowance for savings or investments for social security so as to 
enable the family to live and maintain a decent standard of human existence 
beyond mere subsistence level, taking into account all of the family’s physiological, 
social and other needs;  
 
(e) Underemployment refers to a situation wherein individuals who are employed 
express the desire and availability to work for additional hours of work in their 
present job, or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer working 
hours, thereby resulting in economic inefficiency and professional underutilization; 
 
(f) Unemployment refers to a situation wherein individuals who are available for work 
and actively seeking employment are unable to secure gainful employment, 
excluding those voluntarily choosing not to work unless the reason for such is any 
of the following: (i) tired or believed no work available, i.e., the discouraged 


workers; (ii) awaiting results of previous job application; (iii) temporary 
illness/disability; (iv) bad weather; and, (v) waiting for rehire or job recall. 
 
SEC. 5. Establishment of the Executive-Legislative Labor Commission; Mandate. – The 
Executive-Legislative Labor Commission, hereinafter referred to as the LabCom, is hereby 
established. It shall organize itself and commence its mandate upon the effectivity of this Act. 
 
The LabCom shall serve as the principal advisory body that will provide strategic, 
comprehensive, and evidence-based solutions and recommendations on the following labor 
market concerns, including, but is not limited to, general employment issues, trends and 
challenges related to skills and education, employment quality, wages and salaries, adequacy 
of social protection, and problems of labor governance in the country, with the primary 
objective of enhancing the right to living wages of the employment sector.  
 
The LabCom shall refer the completed roadmap for the progressive realization of the right to 
a living wage to the Trabaho Para Sa Bayan Council, created pursuant to Republic Act 11962, 
otherwise known as the “Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act”, for appropriate action.  
 
SEC. 6. Composition of the LabCom; Standing Committees. – The LabCom shall be 
composed of twelve (12) members, with four (4) members from the Senate; four (4) members 
from the House of Representatives; and four (4) members from the Executive branch of the 
government: 
1. Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human 
Resource Development, as Co-Chairperson; 
2. Chairperson of the House Committee on Labor and Employment, as Co-
Chairperson; 
3. Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, as Member; 
4. Chairperson of the House Committee on Economic Affairs, as Member; 
5. Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational 
Education, as Member; 
6. Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, as 
Member; 
7. Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers; 
8. Chairperson of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs; 
9. Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment, as Member; 
10. Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, as Member; 
11. Secretary of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development, as Member; 
and 
12. Secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers, as Member.  
 
The members of the Commission shall receive no compensation, but travel, communications, 
and other necessary expenses shall be allowed, subject to existing laws, and rules and 
regulations. 
 
The members of the LabCom shall establish, from among themselves, standing committees, 
to be presided over by such members or experts from multi-sectoral groups, and engage 
resource persons from the public and private sectors as may be needed. 
 
SEC. 7. Powers and Functions. – The LabCom shall have the following powers and 
functions: 
 
a. Develop the country’s strategic vision and roadmap for labor and employment 
anchored on national development plans and international labor standards; 
 


b. Provide a regular forum for intersectoral consultations and proposals for intervention 
to address, among others, the following: (i) the right to a living wage; (ii) national and 
regional unemployment and underemployment rates; (iii) skills development; and (iv) 
skills mismatch; 
 
c. Coordinate with government agencies, LGUs, and other relevant sectors to promote 
policy and program coherence; 
 
d. Submit an annual State of Labor Report to the President and Congress containing its 
findings, analysis, and policy and legislative recommendations; and, 
 
e. Perform other functions as may be necessary for its implementation. 
 
SEC. 8. National Labor Roadmap. – The LabCom shall formulate and institutionalize a 
comprehensive National Labor Roadmap that shall serve as a strategic framework for labor 
development in the Philippines, which shall be anchored on inclusive, sustainable, and 
equitable labor outcomes and shall be aligned with the national development plans of the 
country. 
 
SEC. 9. The LabCom Secretariat; Executive Director. – A Technical Secretariat shall be 
established under the administrative control and supervision of the LabCom. It shall be headed 
by an Executive Director who shall be appointed by the LabCom. It shall provide the LabCom 
with technical and administrative support to assist its functions under Section 6 of this Act. 
 
The Executive Director shall have at least ten (10) years of experience and practice in the field 
of labor, human relations, and skills training to qualify for nomination and appointment. He or 
she shall work full-time and shall have the rank, privileges, and emoluments of an Executive 
Director IV (Salary Grade 29). 
 
SEC. 10. Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) - DOLE. – The ILS shall serve as the research 
arm of the LabCom. During the Commission's existence, it shall produce data-based research 
and provide analysis to contribute to the formulation of labor policy and legislative 
recommendations. 
 
SEC. 11. Labor Advisory Council. – The Labor Advisory Council (LAC) is hereby created. 
The LAC members shall always be present at all meetings of the LabCom to provide the 
Commission with expert assistance and advice.  
 
The Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall choose 
recognized experts from the following sectors taking into consideration gender balance in its 
composition to form part of the LAC: two (2) members from the labor sector, with at least one 
member coming from the informal sector, two (2) members from the employer sector, two (2) 
members from the micro, small and medium enterprises,  one (1) member from the migrant 
sector and one (1) from the recruitment sector. 
 
SEC. 12. Annual Report. – The LabCom shall submit an annual report to the President and 
both houses of Congress on or before the last day of September to present strategic 
recommendations to address implementation gaps of labor policies in the country. The report 
shall also be made available to the public through the official online portal of the DOLE. 
 
SEC. 13. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act 
shall be charged against the available appropriations of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives. Thereafter, the amount necessary for its continuous implementation, 


including any deficiency in the current year, shall be included in the annual General 
Appropriations Act, subject to existing budgeting, accounting, and auditing rules and 
regulations. 
 
SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, presidential decrees, administrative 
orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with any provision of 
this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly. 
 
SEC. 15. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act is declared invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remaining parts not affected shall remain in full force and effect. 
 
SEC. 16. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation, whichever 
comes earlier. 
 
Approved,