Quezon City — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), through its policy research arm, the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS), and in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), convened tripartite and civil society partners at the ILS office in Quezon City for a post-COP30 consultation on just transition.

This dialogue reviewed the outcomes from the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) held in Belém, Brazil, and aimed to consolidate the Philippine position on the newly established Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) for official submission to the UNFCCC in mid-March. Representatives from national government agencies, labor and employers’ groups, and civil society organizations were invited to provide inputs and perspectives on how the draft submission can better reflect principles of decent work and social dialogue.

Mr. Jerome Ilagan, Chief of the Policy Research and Development Division of the Climate Change Commission (CCC), presented the critical milestones reached at the COP 30. He emphasized that the adoption of a decision on just transition marked a major victory for the Philippines, reflecting the country’s core priorities on labor rights, decent work, quality jobs, and social protection. While recognizing the significant steps taken by the Philippines including the forthcoming adoption of a National Just Transition Framework, Mr. Ilagan highlighted the need to safeguard the rights and welfare of informal workers and MSMEs throughout the transition process.

Following this, Mr. Joe Mari Francisco, Senior Labor and Employment Officer at the ILS, presented the draft Philippine Submission on the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) to the UNFCCC. He emphasized that the Philippines' core position is for the JTM to move beyond dialogue and become a vehicle for concrete, action-oriented outcomes that promote decent work, particularly in developing countries like the Philippines. He also noted that the JTM should facilitate implementation pathways and strengthen international cooperation to support vulnerable sectors.

Representatives from the labor sector, employers, and civil society provided commentary on the proposed framework. Ms. Jillian Roque of PSLINK expressed support for the guiding principles and called for incorporating rights-based language as well as gender-transformative perspectives. Mr. Irvin Boncacas of POWER-SENTRO emphasized that a just transition must be ambitious, guiding the overall direction of economic development through industrial policy and significant public investments as well as policy coordination. Mr. Julius Cainglet of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) suggested anchoring the position on existing labor rights frameworks and promoting the ILO’s tripartite model for the just transition mechanism.  Representing the employers’ group, Mr. Jose Roland Moya of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) supported the framework while stressing that transition measures must include support for technology adaptation, reskilling, and ensuring the competitiveness of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Finally, Mr. Chadli Sadorra from the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development and Mr. Alen Espinoza of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas highlighted that the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) represents a critical opportunity to maximize existing bodies within the UNFCCC and climate finance institutions to support the just transition initiative. They likewise emphasized that the BAM also opens opportunities for South-South knowledge sharing and coordination to achieve ambitious and urgent climate actions.

ILS Executive Director Jeanette T. Damo closed the program by thanking participants for their engagement and emphasizing that the Philippine position must remain grounded in social justice and social dialogue. She noted that the inputs gathered would be considered into the Philippines’ submission to the UNFCCC.

The ILS will continue to spearhead this social dialogue, with the goal of institutionalizing these consultations as part of the Philippines' annual preparatory process for international climate negotiations.

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