The Philippine National Waste Workers Alliance (PNWWA), established in February 2024 and representing over a thousand waste workers across the nation, is urging lawmakers to pass a “Magna Carta for Waste Workers.” 

This legislation aims to provide essential protections for waste workers.

Aloja Santos, president of the Dumaguete Women Waste Workers Association and founding president of PNWWA, highlighted the critical nature of their work. 

“We provide crucial services to society and deserve equitable compensation and benefits. Without us, societal functions would be severely impacted,” she said. 

This legislative push followed a national consultation organized by the Mother Earth Foundation, supported by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives Asia Pacific. 

The proposed Magna Carta for Waste Workers includes demands for labor standard enforcement, hazard pay, health insurance, safe working conditions, job security, just compensation, policy participation, organizational rights, social benefits, and training.

Senator Loren Legarda has responded by filing the bill, recognizing the justice in these demands. “These concerns warrant immediate attention and action,” said Legarda.

Lawyer Christopher John C. Menguito, Managing Trustee of the Philippine Earth Justice Center, noted, “The purpose of the law is to improve lives.”

The urgency of addressing waste pollution is underscored by data showing its significant contribution to global warming, with waste from Metro Manila notably impacting the Philippines’ solid waste figures.