QUEZON City 6th District Representative Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar is pushing for a measure that will institutionalize a comprehensive labor rights education in the K to 12 and Technical Education and Skills Development curricula.

In filing House Bill 8793 or the proposed Comprehensive Labor Rights Education Act, Co-Pilar stressed that despite laws with provisions that promote labor rights, the Filipino workforce are being exploited by some unscrupulous employers.

She also cited reports from the Philippine Statistics Authority stating that 59.5 percent of 50,161 establishments inspected in 2015 violate labor standards laws.

“Working-class Filipinos, especially those freshly entering the labor force, are left defenseless and ignorant of their rights, and mostly unaware they are being exploited by their employers,” the lawmaker said in her explanatory note.

She added that the K ton12 curriculum has been envisioned so that the additional two years of basic education can amply prepare students to be already employable without going to college.

Hence, it is imperative that students have knowledge of their labor rights and benefits under the law to protect themselves from abuse once they face real life and contribute to the nation.