Constitutional Provision

Article II, Section 9. The State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will
ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty
through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising
standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all.

Article II, Section 10. The State shall promote social justice in all phases of national
development.

Article II, Section 18. The State affirms labor as a primary social economic force. It shall
protect the rights of workers and promote their welfare.

Article II, Section 20. The State recognizes the indispensable role of the private sector,
encourages private enterprise, and provides incentives to needed investments.

Article III, Section 4. No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of
expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition
the government for redress of grievances.

Article III, Section 8. The right of the people, including those employed in the public and
private sectors, to form unions, associations, or societies for purposes not contrary to law
shall not be abridged.

Article III, Section 10. No law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be passed.

Article III, Section 16. All persons shall have the right to a speedy disposition of their
cases before all judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative bodies.

Article III, Section 18. (1) No person shall be detained solely by reason of his political
beliefs and aspirations.

(2) No involuntary servitude in any form shall exist except as a punishment for a crime
whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.

Article XIII, Section 2. The promotion of social justice shall include the commitment to
create economic opportunities based on freedom of initiative and self-reliance.

Article XIII, Section 3. The State shall afford full protection to labor, local and overseas,
organized and unorganized, and promote full employment and equality of employment
opportunities for all.

It shall guarantee the rights of all workers to self-organization, collective bargaining and
negotiations, and peaceful concerted activities, including the right to strike in accordance
with law. They shall be entitled to security of tenure, humane conditions of work, and a
living wage. They shall also participate in policy and decision-making processes affecting
their rights and benefits as may be provided by law.

The State shall promote the principle of shared responsibility between workers and
employers and the preferential use of voluntary modes in settling disputes, including
conciliation, and shall enforce their mutual compliance therewith to foster industrial
peace.

The State shall regulate the relations between workers and employers, recognizing the
right of labor to its just share in the fruits of production and the right of enterprises to
reasonable returns to investments, and to expansion and growth.

Article XIII, Section 13. The State shall establish a special agency for disabled person for
their rehabilitation, self-development, and self-reliance, and their integration into the
mainstream of society.

Article XIII, Section 14. The State shall protect working women by providing safe and
healthful working conditions, taking into account their maternal functions, and such
facilities and opportunities that will enhance their welfare and enable them to realize their
full potential in the service of the nation.