PGEA is the national umbrella organization of public sector workers and unions in the Philippines.
Public servants are integral in maintaining sustained progress, stability, and resilience in our country. Regardless of politics, we believe the Philippine government must always seek to empower public servants who work with elected officials to safeguard the welfare and security of all Filipino citizens.
150,000+
PUBLIC SERVANTS
REACHED NATIONWIDE
160+
MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS /
PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS
75+
YEARS ADVOCATING
FOR WORKERS' RIGHTS
PGEA: Advocating for Public Sector Workers' Rights Since 1945
The Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA) was conceived by government employees for fellow government employees in 1941 and was formally organized and established in December 1945.
PGEA has many success stories, going as far back as advocating for the granting of back pay for government workers after World War II. We engaged in the negotiations for the implementation of the 5-day work week in the Philippines, the provision of low-cost housing projects for public sector workers, and the national classification and standardization of salaries. In recognition of these efforts, the government aided us in our acquisition of the one-hectare lot where the PGEA office is now located.
Our leaders have represented public sector workers in the Boards of Trustees of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC), Pag-IBIG Fund (HDMF), and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). We have also held positions in the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) – Formal Labor and Migrant Workers Council and the National Management and Health Workers Consultative Council under RA 7305.
In 2014, PGEA President Esperanza Ocampo became the first Filipino woman to serve as the head of the Philippine Workers’ Delegation at the 103rd International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The 2017 ratification of ILO Convention 151 was spurred on by efforts led by PGEA Vice President Glen Pastorfide, along with his team from other public sector unions and federations in their Trade Union Rights Project (2013-2015). PGEA continues to advocate for public sector workers' rights by participating in conventions and events that shape legislation and leadership both locally and in the international labor arena.
Legislation and executive orders issued thanks to our persistent bargaining and campaigning include Administrative Order 402 (Establishment of a Medical Check-Up Program for Government Personnel), Executive Order 641 (Establishment and Administration of Provident Funds in the Philippines), the organization of the Wage Adjustment for Government Employees (WAGES) which responsible for the wage increases issued by Malacañang and annual wage increases under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) that began in 2007 and has been ensured to endure up to 2023 by SSL 2019.
Our efforts have helped in lowering housing costs and decreasing interest rates to 6%. We’ve spearheaded projects that provide public access to more affordable medicine and essential goods. Moreover, our leadership has been instrumental in the issuance of Presidential Proclamation 1130, making official the national observance of the annual celebration of Government Employees’ Week which recognizes the contributions and rights of public servants during the first week of December every year.
PGEA also played an active role in the creation of the Public Sector Compensation & Review Panel (PSCRP) that negotiated with the government and successfully signed with President Corazon C. Aquino a memorandum of agreement for improved public service. The PSCRP is responsible for the following:
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Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) for all government workers in the face of economic crisis and uncontrolled inflation starting in 1991,
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Monetization of Leave Credits (MLC) for government employees,
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the right to representation by qualified rank-and-file employees in the governing boards of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs),
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the designation of Health and Welfare Officers in government agencies,
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setting aside ₱50 million from GSIS funds annually for educational loans,
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and a ₱10 million seed fund for the Public Sector Welfare & Development Program (PSWDP) which we proposed to Malacañang as a means of providing secure loans to government employees & and associations through PSCRPI
In addition, PGEA has been involved with the Ombudsman Corruption Prevention Unit since 1998 with a nationwide network of Action and Deputy Action Officers who implement the Dulugan ng Bayan under Malacañang Memorandum Order No. 126 Lifestyle Monitoring check in the bureaucracy and conducted the first employee wide consultation on Drug Testing among Public Sector Union in cooperation with DILG and CSC.
The list of milestones in PGEA’s history go on and on, proving the effectiveness of unity and solidarity as our vehicle toward the attainment of better welfare, more benefits, and improved working conditions for civil servants.
