A MEMBER of the House Committee on Economic Affairs is pushing Congress to permanently ban goods made through forced labor, saying the Philippines should not wait for trade penalties from the United States to act against what he called ‘modern-day slavery.’
Albay Rep. Raymond Adrian E. Salceda is seeking the immediate passage of House Bill 10848, or the Act Prohibiting the Trade of Goods Produced Wholly or in Part with Forced Labor and Providing Penalties Therefor, which would establish a permanent statutory ban on the entry and trade of forced-labor goods in the Philippines.
‘This is not simply about avoiding tariffs or protecting our exports. There is a moral issue when we allow products made through forced labor and exploitation to enter our market. When we buy and trade these products, the suffering of other people becomes part of our supply chain,’ Salceda said.
His call comes after the Office of the United States Trade Representative determined on June 2, 2026, that the Philippines, along with other economies, had failed to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced through forced labor.
The United States subsequently imposed an additional 12.5 percent tariff on Philippine products, subject to specified exemptions. The additional duties took effect on July 24.
Salceda, however, stressed that the proposed legislation should not be viewed simply as a measure to address the US tariff.
‘Even if there were no tariff, this is still a law worth passing. We should prohibit products made through forced labor because we believe exploitation is wrong, not merely because another country is asking us to,’ he said.
The Executive Branch has already established an inter-agency mechanism to investigate imported goods suspected of being produced through forced labor.
Salceda said, however, that administrative action must be reinforced by legislation that provides a clear and permanent legal framework.
‘Fair trade requires fair labor. Otherwise, responsible businesses and workers are effectively being penalized for doing the right thing,’ he said.
Under HB 10848, the importation of goods produced wholly or partly through forced labor would be expressly prohibited. The measure would also authorize the Bureau of Customs to exclude and forfeit such goods, impose corresponding penalties, and institutionalize permanent inter-agency coordination for implementation and enforcement.
Salceda said the proposed ban would also protect Filipino businesses and workers from unfair competition.
He noted that companies that pay fair wages and comply with labor standards should not be forced to compete with cheaper products whose low costs are driven by the exploitation of workers.
Salceda said forced labor is not merely a Philippine-US trade issue but a global problem affecting supply chains across industries.
The US Department of Labor’s latest published list identifies 204 goods from 82 countries and areas that it has reason to believe are produced using child labor or forced labor. These include agricultural products such as sugarcane, cotton, coffee, rice and fish, as well as manufactured goods such as garments, textiles and footwear.
The International Labor Organization estimates that 27.6 million people were living in forced labor on any given day in 2021, an increase of 2.7 million from 2016.
Forced labor in the private economy generates an estimated $236 billion in illegal profits each year, with traffickers and other perpetrators earning close to $10,000 per victim annually, according to the ILO.
While Salceda acknowledged the economic impact of the additional US tariff, he said protecting Philippine exporters and jobs should be pursued alongside stronger labor protections.
‘Of course, we want to protect Philippine exporters, Filipino jobs, and our competitiveness in the US market. A 12.5 percent additional tariff has real consequences for our industries,’ Salceda said.
But he maintained that the tariff should not be the primary justification for the legislation.
The law, he said, would send a broader message that Philippine trade policy will not tolerate exploitation and that economic growth should not come at the expense
of workers’ rights.
‘Trade should create prosperity without sacrificing human dignity. No cheaper product, higher profit, or commercial advantage can justify forced labor. The Philippines should be unequivocal on that principle, and our laws should be equally clear,’ Salceda said.