The Fourth Issue of the Ateneo Law Journal’s 66th Volume is now available online.

The Philippines has long been hailed as a thriving source of labor for nations all over the world, with labor export being a pillar of the country’s economic strategy. The Fourth Issue, with the theme, “Contemporary Issues in Labor Law and Employment,” explores the plight of the great Filipino workers in light of various domestic and global challenges.

In laying down the predicaments of the delivery riders and couriers in the country, former Department of Labor and Employment Undersecretary Atty. Rebecca C. Chato, in her Article, “Should Minimum Labor Standards Be Conditioned on Employment Relationship?: The DOLE Labor Advisory No. 14, Series of 2021, on Working Conditions of Delivery Riders and Courier Activities” posits that due to the emerging gig economy that has grown by leaps and bounds since the peak of the pandemic, the creation of a nationwide Industry Tripartite Council (ITC) has become imperative.

Meanwhile, Chargé d’affaires of the Philippine Embassy to Damascus, Atty. Vida Soraya S. Verzosa underscores in his Article, “The Syrian Model: International Legal Cooperation in Promoting a Collaboration Human Rights-based Approach to Access to Justice and Combatting Trafficking in Persons” the need to rethink the conventional ways of approaching access to justice in order to cater to the current realities and better address the specific challenges being faced by Overseas Filipino workers.

In celebration of the recently concluded Pride month, Atty. Jose Ryan S. Pelongco’s “Promoting Equality in the Workplace: Debunking the Heteronormative Assumption Applied to Philippine Legislation” spotlights the shared experiences of the LGBTQI+ community in the workplace, and zooms in on how companies fare when it comes to providing benefits to these employees.

More importantly, the Fourth Issue is a tribute to two remarkable pioneers in the field of labor law — Atty. Cesario A. Azucena, Jr. and Atty. Ferdinand M. Casis, whose legal prowess left an indelible mark to the whole legal community. Atty. Casis' last piece entitled, “Job Contracting in the Philippines: A Balancing Act in an Ever-Changing Business Milieu,” which seeks to temper a balance between the labor and business sector, is also featured in this Issue.

Kindly click the link below to access the Journal’s Contemporary Issues in Labor Law and Employment Issue: https://bit.ly/439ylQC