To further help the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) promote transparency and accessibility of regulatory issuances, the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) will be holding a consultation on labor regulations with agency members of the DOLE Technical Committee on Legislative Matters (TCLM) on July 3, 2014 at the Migration Information Resource Information Center, DOLE Building, Intramuros, Manila.

The consultation will focus on the proposed eRegulations system and web portal that the ILS has been developing under the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) project funded and supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as part of its Employment Facilitation for Inclusive Growth (EFIG) technical assistance to DOLE.

The eRegulations web portal is intended to make labor and employment rulemaking and regulatory policymaking more transparent, efficient and faster by allowing concerned DOLE agencies to post updates, information and status reports on the eRegulations web portal.

Expected to open the upcoming consultation is DOLE Assistant Secretary Maria Joji V. Aragon, who heads the Department Legislative Liaison Office (DLLO), which plays a crucial role in setting the legislative priorities of the DOLE through networks and linkages with key offices and committees in Congress. ADB principal economist and EFIG project manager Kelly Bird is also expected to be present at the event to show the ADB’s full support to eRegulatory governance.

Meanwhile, representatives from both the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines will give presentations on the status of key labor and employment congressional bills pending for reading, consolidation and bicameral passage. At the same time, key legislative proposals such as the Apprenticeship Bill, Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Bill, Article 40 Bill and the Magna Carta of Seafarers will be up for discussion.

DOLE TCLM agency members that will participate in the consultation include the Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR), Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC), Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC), Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) and National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).

(For more information and queries about this press release, please contact Mr. Bryan M. Balco of the Advocacy and Publications Division of the Institute for Labor Studies at 527-3490/527-3447).