THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is now pushing for occupational safety and health (OSH) measures for platform workers following the killing of two motorcycle taxi riders in separate incidents.
In a statement, Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said there is a need for OSH measures for gig workers, including ride-hailing drivers.
"Ensuring worker safety is a pressing priority requiring immediate action, with ongoing consultations needing to address these critical security gaps," said Tolentino. "There is a pressing need for OSH measures in the platform economy."
Earlier, there were separate incidents of motorcycle taxi riders being fatally stabbed in Caloocan City and in Cavite.
But aside from the OSH, Tolentino said there is also a need to discuss other issues concerning the platform economy, such as taxation, wages, and labor standards.
This, he said, is important following the ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 193 on Decent Work in the Platform Economy in the Philippines.
“This is an evolving industry which has yet to be fully regulated, but the impact is great, evolving… If we extricate the contribution of the delivery riders, it would be smaller, but it has a more sustainable trajectory not just in Metro Manila, but all over," said the labor chief.
"Now, we have to adopt ILO Convention No. 193 to comply with certain standards. It is not just the employee-employer relationship, not just the rights and obligations of both parties. It is about how to make the sector a vital cog of the Philippine economy,” added Tolentino.
On Thursday, July 16, 2026, DOLE met with representatives of digital platform companies and key stakeholders for a bilateral dialogue at the Occupational Safety and Health Center in Quezon City. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
