MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) is pushing for the inclusion of the ratification of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers’ Convention 2011 during President Aquino’s State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) Monday.

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said that she has sent a request to the Office of the President to include the ILO convention in the SONA to consider it among the highlights of the administration’s achievements so its ratification could be prioritized in Congress.

Baldoz said that while household service workers (HSW), who are abroad, are already covered by the Household Service Package law, passed in 2007, the Kasambahay bill, which is needed to ratify the convention for local HSWs, is still pending in Congress.

The landmark convention was approved by ILO’s member-countries during the 100th ILO Convention in Switzerland last month after being led by the Philippine delegation.

It contains guidelines, which aims to protect and promote the welfare of HSW.

“I have proposed that the one in charge of putting the SONA of the President to include that, but I have no updates yet,” Baldoz said.

Meanwhile, she also urged the ILO to start crafting the materials, which will be used in the nationwide promotion of the convention and during the tripartite consultation for its implementation.

“Of course, it has to start with awareness-raising that is why we are telling ILO, they need to prepare to produce all the materials needed so that the convention could be disseminated and be easily understood by the intended beneficiary, the domestic helpers,” Baldoz noted.