Protection sought for digital platform workers

DIGITAL PLATFORM WORKERS have formed a national association to demand labor rights and protections amid soaring fuel costs and stagnant wages across the country.

The new organization, DigitALL Workers Pilipinas, was established on Sunday in Quezon City to represent workers in the delivery, ride-hailing, and virtual assistance sectors, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The FFW told BusinessWorld that the group currently counts over 350 members, with numbers expected to rise as they consolidate workers from major platforms including Lazada, Grab, and Angkas.

This organizational milestone follows a landmark December 2025 National Labor Relations Commission decision that granted regularization to 131 Ninja Van riders, according to the group.

“Digital workers keep goods moving, passengers mobile, and households connected, yet many remain excluded from basic labor and social protections,” said FFW President Jose Sonny G. Matula.

“It is urgent that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. himself meets trade unions, including organizations of digital workers soon as the seriousness of the economic crisis we face merits presidential action based on what workers are experiencing on the ground,” he added.

The federation added that the sector is uniquely vulnerable to the current Middle East crisis, as delivery riders and virtual assistants personally shoulder the rising costs of fuel and electricity without subsidies from platform owners.

The association elected Dick P. Pacioles of the Ninja Van Riders Union as its founding president. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking