House Bill No. 11474, filed by Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Danniel Abellar Manuel, seeks to establish a Magna Carta for Waste Workers, ensuring their rights, fair wages, and improved working conditions.
Developed from waste workers’ priority demands identified in a national consultation led by Mother Earth Foundation and GAIA Asia Pacific, the bill aims to provide job security, hazard pay, health benefits, and policy representation for waste workers across all sectors.
Aloja Santos, president of the Philippine National Waste Workers Alliance (PNWWA), welcomed the bill but urged lawmakers to take action, emphasizing the struggles waste workers face daily and the long-overdue recognition they deserve.
Advocates stress that passing the bill will secure the welfare and rights of waste workers in achieving a just transition for frontline environmental workers.
Yes, the proposed legislation was developed from a list of priority demands identified by waste workers during a national consultation led by the Mother Earth Foundation and GAIA Asia Pacific.
Kabataan Party Representative Cong. Raoul Manuel reaffirmed his commitment to pushing for policies to uplift vulnerable sectors. “Panahon na para kilalanin at ipatupad ng ating gobyerno ang karapatan at kapakanan ng ating mga waste workers—maging sa pampribado, pampubliko, o informal sectors man sila nagtatrabaho. Deserve ng lahat ng manggagawang Pilipino ang nakabubuhay na sahod, tiyak na benepisyo, at regularisasyon sa trabaho—at kabilang dito ang ating waste workers,” he said.
(It’s time for our government to recognize and uphold the rights and welfare of our waste workers—whether they work in the private, public, or informal sectors. All Filipino workers deserve a living wage, guaranteed benefits, and job regularization—including our waste workers.)
Aloja Santos, president of the Philippine National Waste Workers Alliance (PNWWA), expressed gratefulness that someone in the lower chamber has chosen to champion their cause and highlighted the occupational hazards and economic struggles that waste workers face daily. “Ang sarap sa feeling na-file ang bill for Magna Carta for Waste Workers. Nagpapasalamat kami kay Cong. Manuel dahil naniniwala siya sa amin at pinili niyang tulungan kami sa paghahanap namin ng karampatang pagpapahalaga sa amin. Mayroon pa rin ako’ng pag-aalinlangan. Ito ba’y tutugunan ng iba? Sana pakinggan nila kami at ipasa nila ang batas na magpapalawig sa aming mga karapatan. Sana bigyan nila kami ng halaga dahil kami ay mahalaga,” she said.
(“It feels so fulfilling that the bill for the Magna Carta for Waste Workers has been filed. We are grateful to Cong. Manuel for believing in us and choosing to help us in our fight for the recognition we deserve. But I still have doubts—will others support this? I hope they listen to us and pass the law that will strengthen our rights. I hope they value us because we are important.”)
House Bill 11474 is a necessary measure to ensure that waste pickers get the recognition they deserve and that they are treated fairly and with respect. By institutionalizing their rights and welfare, the bill ensures that waste workers receive the protection and support they deserve. Key provisions of the proposed Magna Carta include:
Enforcement of Labor Standards: Ensuring waste workers are not exploited and receive proper compensation.
Hazard Pay: Providing additional compensation due to unsafe working conditions and health risks.
Health Insurance and Services: Offering access to medical care and support.
Humane and Safe Working Conditions: Ensuring the provision of personal protective equipment and safe working environments.
Job Security: Protecting waste workers from layoffs and contract terminations.
Just Compensation: Guaranteeing fair wages that reflect the essential role of waste workers.
Meaningful Participation in Policy Spaces: Including waste workers’ voices in policy discussions related to waste management.
Right to Organize: Allowing waste workers to form associations for better representation.
Social Benefits and Protection: Providing access to social benefits to improve living conditions.
Training: Offering skills training for safe handling of materials and alternative employment opportunities.
Calling on lawmakers to pass the Magna Carta for Waste Workers, Shan Matreo, Movement Building Officer at MEF, shared: “The passage of the bill will significantly enhance the welfare and recognition of waste workers in the Philippines, ensuring they receive the rights and protections afforded to other sectors.”
Sherma Benosa, Sr. Knowledge Management Officer at GAIA Asia Pacific, who also leads the Just Transition work of the network in the region, lauded the filing of the bill. “A national legislation that ensures just transition, accords the waste workers what is due them, and secures their wellbeing will, without a doubt, show the world that we know how to care for our frontliners,” she quipped.
“We trust that our lawmakers will realize that we have been denying the sector due recognition and genuine support for so long. It’s about time that changed,” she added.
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About PNWWA: PHILIPPINE NATIONAL WASTE WORKERS ALLIANCE (PNWWA) is an alliance composed of 12 waste workers groups representing over a thousand waste workers across the Philippines. Established in February 2024, the Alliance is working for the recognition and protection of their rights and welfare.
About MEF: MOTHER EARTH FOUNDATION PH is a non-stock, non-profit organization actively engaged in addressing waste and toxic pollution, climate change, and other health and environmental justice issues. It is best known for its advocacy of Zero Waste through the systematic reduction and proper management of waste.
About GAIA: GAIA is a network of grassroots groups and national and regional alliances representing more than 1000 organizations from 92 countries. With our work, we aim to catalyze a global shift towards environmental justice by strengthening grassroots social movements that advance solutions to waste and pollution. We envision a just, zero-waste world built on respect for ecological limits and community rights, where people are free from the burden of toxic pollution, and resources are sustainably conserved, not burned or dumped. www.no-burn.org
