LABOR Secretary Francis Tolentino has signed an administrative order establishing the Maritime Labor Affairs Office (MLAO).
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the MLAO is a dedicated office under the office of the Labor secretary that will consolidate legal assistance, conciliation, dispute settlement, workers' education, and employment services for Filipino seafarers.
Under Administrative Order 283 of 2026, the composition of the MLAO includes the National Labor Relations Commission, National Conciliation and Mediation Board, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Bureau of Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Relations, Bureau of Local Employment, Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, and Legal Service.
The new office aims to bring DOLE's free legal assistance, conciliation, support, workers' education and upskilling, livelihood and reintegration programs, and case disposition mechanisms for seafarers under one framework.
The MLAO will coordinate the conciliation, mediation, and arbitration of seafarer employment disputes under the Single Entry Approach.
"Seafarers who cannot afford counsel will be endorsed by the MLAO to the Labor Attorney's Office, or, where the matter falls outside its mandate, to the Public Attorney's Office, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines legal aid program, or accredited law school legal aid clinics," the DOLE said.
"Beyond dispute resolution, DOLE will also strengthen pre-employment, employment, and post-employment assistance for seafarers. This covers partnerships with maritime educational institutions and industry stakeholders for skills upgrading and career development, employment referrals through the PhilJobNet portal, Public Employment Service Offices, and job fairs, and access to livelihood and self-employment programs, including the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program, for displaced, repatriated, retiring, or injured seafarers and their families," it added.
