Since its membership with ILO in 1948, the Philippines has always been one of the most active members and strongest supporters of ILO policies and programs. It is a country in which the tripartite structure of the ILO truly functions. The current ILO structure in the Philippines has evolved from an Area Office in 1970 to two offices with the inclusion of the South-East Asia and the Pacific Multi-disciplinary Advisory Team (SEAPAT), which brought technical services nearer to the constituents and technically supported the ILO Area Offices in Indonesia and Fiji. These two offices in Manila later merged into what is now called the ILO Subregional Office for South-East Asia and the Pacific (ILO SRO Manila). The ILO SRO Manila office now covers ILO member countries in the sub-region - Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.

Since 1948, the Philippines has always been a member of the ILO’s Governing Body. For the period of 1996-99, the Philippines sits as a Deputy Member in the Government Group of the Governing Body. In the Employers’ Group, Mr. Ancheta Tan of the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines, sits as a Titular Member, for the Workers’ Group, Ms. Consuelo Angco of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines is a Deputy Member. In 1975, the late Senator Blas F. Ople and former Secretary of Labor and Employment became the first Filipino President of the International Labour Conference. On the other hand, Ms. Nieves R. Confessor became the first Filippino chairperson of the Governing body in 1994-95 followed by the election of Ms. Patricia A. Sto. Tomas, Secretary of Labor and Employment of the Philippines in 2001-2002.