Philippines

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Situation and Priorities

Social protection situation

Philippines' social protection programme is comprehensive and continues to strengthen its alignment with international standards and towards universal coverage. Recently passed legislations are expanding maternity protection, restructuring the Social Security System (SSS), institutionalizing  unemployment insurance, and expanding compulsory coverage to migrant workers. Increase in the national expenditure programme for social protection and actual number of beneficiaries and access to social protection programmes over the years are notable. The main challenges in social protection are promoting universal coverage, ensuring adequacy and sustainability of benefits, streamlining fragmented programmes to maximize impact, and finding the proper complementary mix of passive and active labour market interventions while maintaining work incentives. With the country’s inherent geographical vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change, as well as issues of armed conflict in specific parts of the country, the devastating effects of emergencies such as pandemics, emerging trends brought by technology and other risks need to be mitigated by social protection programmes with strategies for resilience and a just transition.

The Government of the Philippines under its Enhanced Social Protection Operational Framework defines the four major components of social protection as social insurance, social welfare, labour market interventions, and social safety nets. There are manifold social protection programmes and services are in place, often introduced on an ad hoc basis. The schemes are scattered across the different regions, managed and operated by several institutions and have limited funding. Due to the involvement of many actors, the programmes tend to be fragmented with overlap in the targeted beneficiaries. Enhanced coordination and cooperation among planning and implementing institutions is therefore required.

COVID-19 and other crises

The COVID-19 pandemic has gone through multiple phases in the Philippines and its impact is still unfolding. The magnitude of disruptions in jobs and livelihoods due to lockdown measures as well as government social protection responses have varied across time. In the same period, the country experienced natural disasters including Typhoon Odette, which triggered the declaration of a state of calamity and underscored the importance of an adaptive social protection response. Thus, the pandemic further reinforced the country’s determination to strengthen its social protection system towards ensuring the resilience, health, and wellbeing of Filipinos. Social protection programmes have contributed considerably to the reduction of vulnerability, and poverty. Improvements were largely driven by wider coverage and effective social assistance given to the poor, especially to the extremely poor. Despite the large coverage of social assistance programmes, their ability to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic was modest given the magnitude of the shock and the prolonged pandemic as well as the required amount and timeliness of assistance.  Furthermore, as a result of the war between Ukraine and Russia which led to an increase in prices for food, feed, fertilizers, and financing (5Fs), food insecurity rose sharply, and many households were forced to employ negative coping strategies.

The experience with the triple shocks of COVID-19 pandemic, the 5Fs crisis, and the ongoing impact of climate change provides some important lessons. First, it is critical to have well-established social protection policies, programmes, and systems upon which emergency operations can be built. Second, social protection delivery systems require regular updates and modernization investment and efforts. Third, digital tools and technological advances should be actively used for social protection delivery. Forth, timely and agile policy adaptations building on the lessons learned from each shock can help strengthen overall social protection systems and delivery for future resilience.

Government and social partner priorities

In the pursuit of universal social protection, the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 identified the institutionalization of the Social Protection Floor as a priority issue. Recognizing its importance for guaranteeing access to social protection services, its institutionalization is seen as being of vital importance for the improvement of the delivery of social protection services throughout the country.

Following the general election in May 2022, the new Administration assumed office in July 2022 and launched the new Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2030 in December 2022, which serves as the government’s overall guide in development planning for the next six years. The new PDP includes "a universal, modern, and integrated social protection system achieved" as one of its outcomes with establishing a standard menu of rationalized programs for the social protection floor guarantees as one of its major strategies.

Under the leadership of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the Social Protection Floor Recommendations for the Philippines received provisional approval from the NEDA Social Development Committee-Cabinet level (SDC-CL) in December 2022.

An Ad referendum is expected in March 2023 leading towards the institutionalization of a nationally-defined social protection floor for the Philippines through a Resolution. Further support to enumerate the components of the Social Protection Floor, including the roles of the concerned agencies will follow.

The SPF recommendations presented were endorsed in March 2021 by the Technical Executive Committee (TEC), a sub-committee of the National Tripartite Industrial Council (NTIPC).

In addition, six (6) Basic Sectoral Councils of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) endorsed the recommendations for the establishment of Social Protection Floor in the Philippines through the issuance of resolutions Overall, workers’ organizations aim to strengthen social protection policies and programmes to ensure that all Filipinos have access to basic social services and protection from economic and social risks. In particular, trade unions push for the implementation of universal healthcare in the country to ensure that all Filipinos have access to quality health services and protection from financial risks associated with medical expenses. They also call for the expansion and improvement of the Social Security System (SSS), which includes benefits such as retirement, disability, and survivorship benefits, as well as healthcare and maternity benefits.

Overall, employers’ organizations aim to support the well-being of employees while also promoting economic growth and development in the country. In particular, they prioritize the provision of health insurance to employees as a means of protection their health and ensuring their productivity. This includes support for the government’s national health insurance programme, PhilHealth. Employers’ organizations also advocate for the establishment of retirement benefits and pension plans for employees, including both government and employer-funded options. In addition, they support the expansion of social security programmes to provide financial protection and support to workers and their families, particularly in times of crisis.

Both, workers’ and employers’ organizations support the establishment of a nationally defined social protection floor providing income security and access to basic health care for all Filipinos during their life-cycle.

ILO Projects and Programmes

Funding gaps / Support the ILO

US$ 60,000

Technical capacity building and tools focusing on sectoral approaches for formulating and implementing social protection policies and programmes

US$ 150,000

Pilot at the local government level on enhancing service delivery mechanisms and implementation of social protection programmes i.e. one stop shop/single window system

US$ 60,000

Technical capacity building on the roll-out and implementation of social protection floors, including planning, programme design and monitoring.

US$ 50,000

Tools on how to harmonize criteria of different social protection programmes and schemes

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ILO Experts

IMG
Markus Ruck
Senior Social Protection Specialist
IMG
Ma. Lourdes M. Rivera
Programme Officer