QUEZON CITY—The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) conducted a dialogue with management representatives from the landbased overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) sector last November 17, 2025.

Chairperson Grace Maniquiz-Tan, Presiding Commissioners and Commissioners of the First to Sixth Divisions, Executive Labor Arbiters of the National Capital Region Arbitration Branch (NCRAB), Regional Arbitration Branches (RABs) III and IV, Executive Clerk of Court IV, and officers from the National Association of Labor Arbiters, Inc. (NALAI) attended the dialogue and welcomed the insights of the stakeholders aimed to improve the delivery of services for both the workers and the employers.

Representatives from different manpower and recruitment agencies were present, namely, the Professional and Responsible International Migration Engagement (PRIME) Alliance; Japan Employment Providers of the Philippines & Consultants' Association (JEPPCA); Philippine Responsible Intercontinental Manpower Association (PRIMA); Overseas Placement Association of the Philippines, Inc.; Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (PASEI), Philippine Employment Agencies and Associates for Corporate Employers in the Middle East (PEACEME), Inc.; Coalition of Landbased Agencies for Domestic and Skilled Workers, Inc. (CLADS); and Association of Philippine Licensed Agencies for Japan (APLAJAP), Inc.

Commissioner Ma. Minerva Paez-Collantes of the First Division welcomed the stakeholders and stressed the importance of such undertaking as “an essential initial step in the recognition of the importance of fostering cooperation and shared goals among all stakeholders.”

Fourth Division OIC Presiding Commissioner Leonard Vinz O. Ignacio discussed legal updates on cases involving landbased OFWs which covered the validity and enforceability of waivers and quitclaims, ambulance chasing, attorney’s fees, bonds and escrow, among others.

He also cited the efforts of the NLRC to eliminate fixers and ambulance chasers which include the creation of the Public Assistance Center; establishment of the Public Attorney’s Office and Integrated Bar of the Philippines Legal Aid Center at the NLRC office; implementation of an online filing of requests for assistance under the Single Entry Approach or SEnA; assistance in the filing of local and OFW complaints and regulated appearances of parties before the NLRC; and information dissemination through the official NLRC Facebook page.

Meanwhile, Sixth Division Commissioner Gavino Meneses presented the NLRC’s 2024-2025 performance and initiatives on landbased OFW cases. He noted that there is a significant decrease in landbased OFW cases in the RABs and at the Commission level. He shared that, as of September 2025, the RABs received 1,527 complaints involving landbased OFWs which is lower than the 2,075 complaints received in 2024. On the other hand, the Commission received 353 appealed landbased OFW cases, while 474 cases were received in 2024.

“The decline in cases can be attributed to the increased use of early dispute resolution mechanisms. Through the NLRC’s efforts, there are less cases that proceeded to arbitration—consistent to our mandate to encourage settlement between our stakeholders,” he

said.

“Although the number of cases decreased, our disposition rate remains the same. The disposition rate for the RABs is 88.8 percent and the Commission’s disposition rate is 81.6 percent as of the third quarter,” he added.

Commissioner Meneses also noted other efforts of the NLRC to improve the disposition of cases and access to labor justice, such as the reinforcement of the Complaint Unit by assigning Commission Attorneys to assist the complainants in properly accomplishing the complaint forms; continuous implementation of the Project Speedy and Efficient Delivery of Labor Justice (SpeED) to reduce backlogs; close monitoring of the “first-in, first-out” policy for the early disposition of cases and creation of task forces to improve the disposition rate; capacitating the sheriffs and streamlining the execution proceedings; and forging partnerships and cooperation with other government agencies for the enforcement of decisions. During the open forum, the representatives from the manpower and recruitment agencies delved into the need for assistance in enforcing the liability of overseas agencies and employers in terms of the payment of workers’ money claims. Other concerns include the necessity for harmonized processes between the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the NLRC; institutional data-sharing between the two agencies to ensure accuracy and integrity of complaints; monitoring and control of serial, malicious, or notorious complainants; digitalization and transparency of NLRC proceedings; and capacity-building and consistency in NLRC decision- making.

Chairperson Maniquiz-Tan assured the stakeholders of the NLRC’s unwavering receptiveness to their insights and suggestions to provide better services to landbased OFWs and the industry.

“Our commitment to working closely with the industry is always there. Our office is always open to all your concerns because we recognize you as our partner. As you know, the NLRC is a tripartite agency where we have representatives for both management and labor,” she said.

The Chairperson undertook to relay the concerns discussed during a meeting with DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and looked forward to the initiatives that can be taken to address the issues raised.

The activity is the third and last part of the series of dialogues conducted by the Commission to further its mandate of delivering labor justice for workers and employers. Dialogues were also conducted with the practicing lawyers and seabased sector. This is in line with the celebration of the Commission’s 51st Founding Anniversary and 2025 Labor Relations Week bearing the theme “NLRC@51: Pagpupugay sa Manggagawa”.

ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ:

ᴇʀɪᴋᴀ ᴠ. ᴍᴀꜱɪʟᴀɴɢ

ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰꜰɪᴄᴇʀ ɪɪɪ, ʀɪᴘᴅ