The Center for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), an independent, not-for-profit research and network organization based in the Netherlands; the Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) Southern Tagalog Cluster – a network of people’s organizations (POs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), church/faith-based groups and Misereor, the German Catholic Bishops’ Organization for Development Cooperation; and the Workers Assistance Center (WAC) worked together to organize a four-day training workshop held on December 12-15, 2014.The training-workshop on Business and Human Rights and Grievance Mechanisms took place at the Canossa House of Spirituality in Tagaytay City.

The activity aimed to familiarize the participating organizations on the concept of business and human rights and how to utilize the different grievance mechanisms available for local organizations in filing complaints.

The organizers invited competent resource speakers from diffnt institutions locally and abroad to discuss specific topics of the training. Among them were Mr. Baseer Naweed from the Hongkong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC); Atty. Pillkyu Hwang of the Korean House of International Solidarity (KHIS) from South Korea; Ms. Josefina Miranda from the Asian Development Bank (ADB); and renowned labor lawyer Atty. Remigio Saladero.

Atty. Renato Pambid, WAC’s board secretary and Ms. Virginia Sandjojo of SOMO who were both part of the organizing committee, also discussed certain topics before the participants.

Participating organizations were from workers unions affiliated with the Solidarity of Cavite Workers (SCW) and Batangas Labor Solidarity (BLAST); POs and NGOs under PMPI-Southern Tagalog Cluster; and other provincial groups concerning urban poor and environmental issues from Cavite and Batangas.

Fr. Oliver Castor, CSSR, PMPI coordinator on its thematic concern on mining also attended the four-day activity.

On the third day of the event, groups were divided according to its concerns, worked on their possible complaints using the different mechanisms available. The results of each group were collected after presenting it before the plenary for comments and suggestions from the speakers.

The participants and the organizers gave their individual insights for the evaluation of the activity before it officially adjourned.

Being held and attended such training-workshop for the first time, participants encouraged the organizers to hold similar activities in the future so that other organizations would benefit.

On the other hand, the organizers urged organizations to explore the possibilities of utilizing the gained knowledge in their work and if results look promising, organizers said that they would work out the challenges to hold similar activities again.