The Philippines the second country in Asia, or 38th in the world, to ratify the International Labor Organization instrument.

Manila -- Eighteen Filipino senators solidly voted for the International Labor Organization Convention 182 demanding immediate action on the worst forms of child labor, last Monday, October 16.

The move makes the Philippines the second country in Asia, or 38th in the world, to ratify the ILO instrument.

It also ends the long wait of civil society groups, trade unions, employers and government agencies, which launched the Global March Against Child Labor in Manila last January 17, 1998.

"We have not forgotten our children in this celebration of the Children's Month, especially in this time of crisis and conflicts," remarked Ma. Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, Global March Coordinator for the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

The ratification came in the height of the country's political and economic crisis amid scandals and allegations that the senate body is centering their actions on.

"We do not condone child labor as a means of inviting foreign investors to our shores. Our social conscience dictates that no economic windfall is worth the tears of an exploited child," Sen. Enrile, resolution sponsor, said.

In an ILO survey in 1997, there were 3.7 million child laborers in the country, 2.2 million of whom are exposed in hazardous work. "Their numbers have continued to rise with the crisis," Oebanda said.