Manila – The Institute for Labor Studies Executive Director Ahmma Charisma Lobrin-Satumba was one of the panelists during the fourth and closing session on the topic “Robust and Healthy Workforce” during the Annual Public Policy Conference (APPC) webinar held last Sept. 23.

APPC is the main and culminating activity of the Development Policy Research Month celebration held every September. This year, the 7th APPC centered on the theme “Reset and Rebuild for a Better Philippines in the Post-Pandemic World.”

The last session featured presentations on measures to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic especially on low-compensation workers, promote decent work, and future-proof the workforce through education and upskilling.

Exec. Dir. Lobrin-Satumba, through her presentation “Paving the Way: Healthy and Robust Workforce,” highlighted the Department of Labor and Employment’s initiatives in ensuring social dialogue and a robust and healthy workforce through its programs undertaken under the National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS), its promotion of the establishment of a Social Protection Floor (SPF) in the country.

"As the COVID-19 pandemic sinks economies around the world leading to record rates of unemployment and underemployment, we have come to realize the urgency of strengthening social protection systems to provide adequate income and other necessary guarantees for all. It is in this light that we, the DOLE, have accelerated our efforts toward establishing an SPF, which will set out the minimum income guarantees for children, the economically active population, and the elderly. This has been identified as a national priority and a key strategy in addressing inequality," emphasized Exec. Dir. Lobrin-Satumba.

Exec. Dir. Lobrin-Satumba was joined by Dr. Yoonyoung Cho of World Bank, Dr. Srinivas Tata of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific, and Ms. Princess Hyacinth P. Esguerra of Robinsons Land Corporation.