MANILA, Philippines — As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, business process outsourcing (BPO) workers under the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) staged a protest calling for better wages, safer working conditions, and legislative recognition of their sector as essential to the Philippine economy.

Central to their appeal is the immediate certification of the proposed Magna Carta for BPO Workers as an urgent measure. The bill seeks to establish protections for the country’s 1.8 million BPO workers, including provisions for a living wage, occupational safety and health (OSH) standards, security of tenure, union rights, and paid emergency leave.

“The BPO industry rakes in billions and props up our economy, but workers remain underpaid, overworked, and unprotected,” said BIEN National President Mylene Cabalona. “We urge President Marcos to walk the talk of digital innovation and labor rights by certifying the Magna Carta for BPO Workers as urgent.”

BIEN is pushing for a ₱36,000 entry-level monthly salary, citing family living wage estimates and rising living costs in cities where most BPO jobs are based. Many entry-level workers, they noted, still earn only around ₱15,000 per month with limited benefits.

The protest action follows days of severe weather that hit Metro Manila and CALABARZON. BIEN reported that many BPO workers were compelled to report to on-site offices despite the floods, without hazard pay, emergency leave, or safe transport options.

The group criticized the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for what it called a lack of clear directives enforcing remote work or paid leave during natural disasters, despite existing labor laws such as RA 11058 and DO 198-18, which guarantee workers’ rights to refuse unsafe work.

“Our workplaces are digital, but our labor conditions are stuck in the past,” said Cabalona. “We need a law that guarantees our safety and dignity—not just during disasters, but every single day.”

BIEN said the Magna Carta would require companies to establish OSH committees, uphold workers’ right to refuse dangerous work, and curb union-busting practices in the industry.

“If President Marcos truly values BPO workers as economic frontliners, he should prove it by backing the Magna Carta and supporting our call for living wages,” Cabalona said.