Ms. Delia S. Palomar, Chief Labor and Employment Officer, International Relations and Cooperation Division, Department of Labor and Employment, Philippines, describes how submission to the competent national authorities of newly adopted ILS is effectuated (December, 2011).

Arrangements for submission to the competent national authorities

“First submission to the competent authorities. As soon as we receive the document from the ILO requesting to the transmitted to National competent authorities we draft the memo or the letter to the Office of the Senate president and the Speaker of the House citing the importance of the convention and referring it to them for future legislation. So upon transmitting the text of the convention or the recommendation, we solicit the acknowledgement or whatever decisions the Senate or Congress will take into account for the said conventions. Like right now we just received the acknowledgement receipt from the House of Representatives acknowledging that they have received the text of the domestic work convention. In the case of the Domestic work Convention, we are in close coordination with the national competent authorities because we also consulted them for its certification and we indicated in our transmittal letter that the same is being referred to them because there is an action to ratify the convention. But in most cases we just notify them that there is a new convention or a new international instrument that should be taken into account in future legislation. In submitting the instrument to competent authorities, we indicate that it is in compliance with our obligation as a member State of the ILO and such instrument could be considered in their drafting of bills.”

Special thanks got to the Honorable Secretary of Labor and Employment of the Philippines, and the Director and staff of the International Labor Affairs Bureau of the Department of Labor of the Philippines for their generous cooperation in the production of this video.