The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reaffirmed its commitment to promote the welfare and skills development of Filipino workers, particularly those in the aquaculture sector, as it participated in the first National Industry Dialogue on Sustainable Aquaculture Supply Chains, held recently in Makati City.
Organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and with the support of the Government of Japan, the event brought together workers, employers, and policymakers to address labor challenges and identify strategies to improve the welfare and skills of aquaculture workers and strengthen one of the country’s key livelihood and economic sectors.
In his keynote address, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma echoed the current administration’s call to intensify efforts toward a more resilient, strengthened, and sustainable Philippine aquaculture industry.
“I consider this national dialogue as a successful culmination of a joint endeavor to gain and share new knowledge of the aquaculture sector, particularly in shrimp and seaweed farming… At the same time, it is a hopeful step forward to uplift the sector,” Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said.
“Here, we have the opportunity to uplift the sector and to exchange ideas on how the research outputs will help lead to more informed decisions on what interventions can be done to make the workers and enterprises in the sector more productive and to progressively align the sector’s working conditions with the fundamental principles and rights at work,” the Labor Secretary added.
Secretary Laguesma also affirmed that DOLE continues to pursue programs that empower aquaculture workers and enterprises, such as the DOLE Adjustment Measures Program, emergency employment and livelihood programs, upskilling and training partners in partnership with TESDA, as well as initiatives to eliminate child labor.
The two-day session was built on an ILO study under the Japan-backed Resilient, Inclusive, and Sustainable Supply Chains (RISSC) Project, which examined labor and business realities in the shrimp and seaweed supply chains.
It tackled key issues such as informal work, investments and infrastructure, market standards, and policies that support both workers and enterprises in the aquaculture sector.
