Rene E Ofreneo | University of the Philippines (original) (raw)

Papers by Rene E Ofreneo

•ic (ITUC/AP) are jointly spearheading a review of the labor law system in the Asia-Paci•ic regio... more •ic (ITUC/AP) are jointly spearheading a review of the labor law system in the Asia-Paci•ic region in support of a broad regional and global campaign for decent work. The ITUC A/P program for labor law reform is undertaken in the context of the UN's Millenium Development Agenda (MDG) and the ILO's Decent Work Agenda (DWA). The MDG is aimed at the reduction (about 50 per cent by 2015) and eventual elimination of mass poverty in the developing world, while the DWA is focused on the promotion of quality decent jobs obtained in conditions of freedom, equality, security and dignity.

Another limitation: this study cannot cover in detail the various subregional groupings of Asia a... more Another limitation: this study cannot cover in detail the various subregional groupings of Asia and the Pacific. The main focus is on East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia, although there are references here and there to Australia, New Zealand and other countries of the Asia and the Pacific.

Social Science Research Network, Sep 16, 2003

We seek to describe recent developments in employment relations in the Philippines, placing these... more We seek to describe recent developments in employment relations in the Philippines, placing these developments in the contexts of the distinctive elements of the Philippine social/political/industrial relations systems as well as the ongoing trade-based and functional integration of international markets and the recent regional economic crisis. We find that, while some firms are pursuing functional flexibility and more cooperative employment relations, the logic of competition has primarily induced firms to adopt practices that promote numerical flexibility such that a core-periphery workforce is created. We argue that the labor movement in the Philippines has been hampered in its efforts to effectively counter employer strategies by its low density, its fragmentation, and an unfavorable public policy environment; Philippine labor unions have, however, made some recent gains in organizing and inter-union coordination. We also argue that governments, both national and regional, have not done enough to counteract the negative effects of market integration on workers nor to evolve the Philippines into a higher value-added exporter.

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION PROGRAMME INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE GENEVA iii Table of contents

Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 2009

... Rene E. Ofreneo a pages 194-209. ... 1999. NSC shuts down. Workers' satellite , View... more ... Rene E. Ofreneo a pages 194-209. ... 1999. NSC shuts down. Workers' satellite , View all references,Quijano 200523. Quijano, F. 2005. Notes & clippings on the Philippine steel & iron industry , Iligan, Philippines: Office of the Mayor. View all references) shows why: ...

Economic and Industrial Democracy, 1985

ABSTRACT

Asian Journal of Social Science, 2008

The ASEAN Economic Community is marked by a range of specific programmes to make economic regiona... more The ASEAN Economic Community is marked by a range of specific programmes to make economic regionalism a successful reality. Yet, the economic liberalisation programme is a narrow one, without any clear economic development direction outside of its confines. Economic integration is also being driven by select corporate interests. States are not paying sufficient attention to ASEAN's working populations. For ordinary persons to benefit from economic liberalisation and integration, ASEAN states would need to put them at the centre of their development programmes.

American Behavioral Scientist, 2013

This article outlines two realities about the Philippine labor market: the continuing expansion o... more This article outlines two realities about the Philippine labor market: the continuing expansion of the large informal economy and the continuing “flexibilization” of work in the narrow organized sector of the economy. The first is a consequence of the uneven development of the economy and its weak capacity to create stable jobs for a growing population. This expansion is reflected in the chain of urban and rural poor colonies mushrooming all over the archipelago. On the other hand, the flexibilization phenomenon in the formal labor market is manifested in various forms of flexible hiring arrangements, primarily through the service contracting modality. Flexibilization has generated fierce legal debates, especially regarding the so-called management prerogative of firms to outsource jobs held by regular workers. The article contends that social protection for the “precariat” in both the formal and informal sectors requires not only the passage of protective labor laws but also, and m...

Gut drei Jahre später wurde auf dem UN-Gipfel 2015 die Agenda 2030 für Nachhaltige Entwicklung ve... more Gut drei Jahre später wurde auf dem UN-Gipfel 2015 die Agenda 2030 für Nachhaltige Entwicklung verabschiedet. Die 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals, Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung) der Agenda umreißen die wichtigsten Politikfelder für eine zukünftige globale Entwicklungspartnerschaft. Ein Ziel (SDG 11: „Städte und Siedlungen inklusiv, sicher, widerstandsfähig und nachhaltig gestalten“) verweist ausdrücklich auf das Thema Stadtentwicklung. Die Gemeinschaft der Städte hat die Verabschiedung dieses Ziels sehr begrüßt, spiegelt sich darin doch eine wachsende Anerkennung der zentralen Bedeutung von Städten für globale Entwicklungsprozesse wider.

Abstract: The Philippines pioneered the establishment of automotive assembly in

Trade Unions and Labour Movements in the Asia-Pacific Region, 2019

The Research-Advocacy Project seeks to assess and develop policy measures to: upgrade the capabil... more The Research-Advocacy Project seeks to assess and develop policy measures to: upgrade the capability of Philippine missions overseas to deliver services to Filipino migrant workers in the context of the 1995 Migrant Workers’ Law; and operationalise the DFA’s roposal for a Migrant Empowerment programme, with special focus on the mobilization of savings for productive investments in the Philippines.

International Journal of Institutions and Economies, 2015

The neo-liberal framework, which has guided development in the Philippines for nearly four decade... more The neo-liberal framework, which has guided development in the Philippines for nearly four decades, has produced economic growth without creating enough jobs for the job seekers. With a stagnating industrial sector and a collapsing agricultural sector, growth has been fuelled mainly by the remittances of millions of overseas Filipino workers and immigrants. The sustainability of the economy is further threatened by an environmental crisis and climate change-induced calamities that have been occurring in the country with alarming frequency.To make the economy sustainable economically and environmentally, the author argues that the country has little choice but to embrace an inclusive, sustainable and green development framework. Inclusiveness means empowerment of the people through an all- out implementation of social and economic reforms such as agrarian reform. Greening means the renewal of the environment through reforestation, the development of green industries such as the renew...

The Philippine debt crisis has led the American government and the World Bank·IMF group of foreig... more The Philippine debt crisis has led the American government and the World Bank·IMF group of foreign creditors to take stronger measures to achieve political stability in the country. One set of pressures is to have the Marcosgovernment fulfill "jlve requisites," among them: to establish a credible inquiry into the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr., and to move towards fair and credible elections in May 1984. According to the author, these pressures are not to be viewed simply as attempts by foreign capitalists to save Philippine democracy. To foreign capitalists, what matters is the preservation ofa system by which it can continue to extract superprofits:

The Philippines is facing two difficult and intertwined environmental tasks: minimizing the adver... more The Philippines is facing two difficult and intertwined environmental tasks: minimizing the adverse impact of climate change through varied mitigation/adaptation measures and restoring its degraded environment. The way forward for the country is to pursue these tasks with greater vigour, coherence and consistency in the context of the need to green the economy and the labor market. This green economic shift is value-adding, job-creating and a key to the creation of jobs that are both green (help restore the environment) and decent (promote dignity, security, equity and stability at work). However, crucial to this greening process is the formulation of appropriate national action plans on environmental education, skills training and human resource development in support of this greening vision. These plans are not yet in place despite a law on the integration of environmental education at all levels, although there are significant education/skills initiatives by both the public and p...