QUEZON CITY - The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS), together with the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) Bureau of Competitive Development, convened to explore collaborative efforts aimed at addressing the working conditions and employment relations of freelancers in the Philippine creative industries.
On 12 September 2024, ILS organized a meeting with various Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) offices comprising its Technical Committee on Legislative Matters (TCLM), alongside representatives from DTI, to discuss potential joint initiatives promoting the welfare of workers in the creative industries, particularly freelancers. The meeting also centered on the potential joint engagements of DTI and DOLE under the Philippine Creative Industries Development (PCID) Plan.
Following the meeting, ILS representatives Arianne Ishreen C. Bucar and Jun Karlo T. Laroza attended the Creative Nation Summit 2024, hosted by DTI from 30 September to 1 October 2024, at the Rizal Park Hotel. The summit brought together policymakers, industry leaders, innovators, and creative professionals to discuss the future of the creative economy in the Philippines and strategize on unlocking the full potential of the country's creative industries.
ILS has long been at the forefront of advocacy for labor rights in the creative sector. In 2018, the institute released a Policy Analysis on the Issuance of Work Permits for Children in the Theatre Industry (https://ils.dole.gov.ph/social-protection/2018-sp/policy-analysis-on-the-issuance-of-work-permit-for-children-in-the-theatre-industry-based-on-ra-9231, based on RA 9231, and in 2016, published a study on Work Arrangements and Working Conditions in Television’s Film Production and Broadcast Industry: Issues for Social Dialogue (https://ils.dole.gov.ph/social-dialogue/2016-sd/in-focus-work-arrangement-and-working-conditions-in-television-s-film-production-and-broadcast-industry-issues-for-social-dialogue ).
As part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing work conditions and employment relations in the creative industries, ILS has announced its plans to include a paper on the creative industries in its 2025 Working Papers.
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