Quezon City — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), through its policy research arm, the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS), and in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), convened tripartite and other social partners in Quezon City for a pre-COP30 consultation on Just Transition.

This event forms part of the DOLE’s preparatory process for developing a coherent, tripartite-informed Philippine position on Just Transition ahead of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Belém, Brazil from 10 to 21 November 2025. The consultation gathered representatives from relevant national government agencies, workers’ groups, and employers’ organizations as well as civil society organizations to exchange perspectives on how climate change and the shift to decarbonization may affect jobs, enterprises, and communities.

In his opening remarks, DOLE Undersecretary for Labor Relations, Policy, International Affairs, and Regional Operations Cluster Benedicto Ernesto R. Bitonio, Jr. emphasized the importance of social dialogue in managing the labor and employment impacts of climate change. He called for meaningful collaboration and sustained dialogue among workers, employers, and government to ensure that the Philippines’ climate policies and international positions reflect a shared and inclusive vision for a just and green transition.

The first plenary session, Trade and Climate Change: Unilateral Measures and Their Labor Impacts, featured presentations from Board of Investments (BOI) Director Sandra Marie S. Recolizado on the Philippines’ Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP), and Director Marie Sherylyn D. Aquia of the Bureau of International Trade Relations on trade policy instruments for climate action.

Labor representative Mr. Mark Villena underscored the need for clear timelines in implementing initiatives aligned with trade negotiations to anticipate and minimize adverse impacts on workers. Ms. Flordeliza Leong of the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT) supported this call, noting that exporters, especially from developing countries like the Philippines, need support and longer transitions to prepare for new product standards and supply chain regulatory requirements being introduced by trading partners.

The second session, Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in a Just, Orderly, and Equitable Manner: Opportunities and Challenges, focused on the energy transition. Department of Energy (DOE) Director of Energy Policy and Planning Bureau (EPPB) Michael O. Sinocruz presented current DOE initiatives supporting a just and clean energy transition, emphasizing the need to reskill and upskill the Filipino workforce for renewable energy industries.

Atty. Jose M. Layug of the Developers of Renewable Energy for Advancement, Inc. (DREAM) highlighted that the shift to renewable energy can generate more employment opportunities than it displaces. Meanwhile, Mr. Irvin B. Boncacas, Deputy Secretary General of the National Union of Workers in the Power Industry (POWER), called for genuine social dialogue anchored on tripartism and emphasized that workers should be recognized as co-owners and co-creators of the energy transition, not merely its recipients. Mr. Boncacas critiqued current human resource development strategies for being largely supply-driven, noting that the prevailing focus remains on making workers employable, rather than enabling them to actively shape and benefit from the transition.

For the third session, Atty. Angela Consuelo S. Ibay of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines presented updates on the international evolution of the UAE Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) and discussed possible pathways for ensuring its institutional continuity beyond 2026. She noted that COP30 will serve as a crucial opportunity to strengthen governance and financing mechanisms for Just Transition.

Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) Director-General Jose Roland Moya expressed support for the JTWP’s emphasis on social dialogue, national ownership, and inclusion. He urged that just transition mechanisms be aligned with national development priorities and enterprise competitiveness to foster a whole-of-society approach.

Federation of Free Workers (FFW) Vice President Julius Cainglet underscored the need for robust monitoring indicators and coordination frameworks to track progress and outcomes of Just Transition efforts, while highlighting the importance of participatory and inclusive dialogues, especially for vulnerable communities.

Following the plenary, participants joined a world café session to identify key demands, red lines, and areas of flexibility that could inform the Philippines’ position on three contentious issues: unilateral trade measures with climate impacts, just energy transition, and operationalizing the JTWP at the UNFCCC level.

In closing, ILS Executive Director Jeanette T. Damo thanked the participants for engaging in meaningful social dialogue and stressed that managing the transition to low-carbon society must be grounded in social justice, labor rights, and a human-centered approach that ensures no worker is left behind.

ILO Senior Specialist Ms. Concepcion Sardana, representing ILO Country Director for the Philippines Khalid Hassan, lauded the consultation’s collaborative spirit and urged stakeholders to move from dialogue to action as the Philippines advances strategies for a just and inclusive transition anchored on the fundamental principles of decent work.

The ILS will represent DOLE and its tripartite partners and will join with DOE and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as part of the COP30 Philippine Delegation to the Just Transition workstream.

For more information regarding the event, contact the Employment Research Division of the Institute for Labor Studies at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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