ABSTRACT
The Philippines stands among the world’s top migrant labour-sending countries, deploying nearly 2 million workers annually to over 100 nations. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), especially in domestic and healthcare sectors, are supported by one of the most comprehensive protection frameworks globally. Central to this system is a national law, the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 (Republic Act or RA 8042 and as amended by RA 10022 in 2010), which seeks to promote OFW protection at all phase stages of migration. The law declares that the state shall endeavour to adopt or ratify international conventions that guarantee to protection to OFWs and to enter into bilateral labour agreements (BLAs) with destination countries of OFWs. This chapter focuses on the role of BLAs in promoting the protection of Filipino migrant workers by safeguarding the recruitment process, ensuring decent working and living conditions and guaranteeing access to support and assistances. Drawing from historical trends and two case studies, the chapter highlights how BLAs contribute meaningfully to ethical skill mobility and fair labour governance in global migration corridors.
