A/HRC/36/12 124. The Juvenile Justice Welfare Act had been strengthened. Local government units were required to appoint social workers to assist children in conflict with the law, among others. 125. The programme against child labour had recorded a 47.9 per cent decrease in children involved in labour, had awarded child labour-free certificates to establishments and closed establishments engaging minors in hazardous work. Project Angel Tree provided social assistance to children who had been subjected to child labour. 126. The Government had issued Department Order No. 174, which reaffirmed workers’ constitutional and statutory right to security of tenure by prohibiting “labour-only contracting” (an arrangement whereby a contractor or subcontractor merely recruits, supplies or places workers to perform a job or work for a principal) and reinforced workers’ rights in terms of labour standards, self-organization and collective bargaining. A review of the enforcement framework would be undertaken. 127. Safeguarding the rights of Philippine workers abroad was a priority. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration regulated the overseas recruitment industry. The Philippines had bilateral labour agreements with 31 countries of destination. Returning workers were offered reintegration seminars and training. 128. The armed forces implemented the Internal Peace and Security Plan “Bayanihan” (Cooperation), which had been subsumed by the Development Support and Security Plan “Kapayapaan” (Freedom). Both Plans focused on support for nation-building, civil military cooperation, peacebuilding and military action against terrorists and other armed groups. Military operations were only conducted in areas where there had been threats endangering the safety of the people. 129. Executive Order No. 264 had led to the creation of the Citizens Armed Force Geographical Units to assist the military in helping address local insurgency threats in operations during disasters and calamities and in socioeconomic development projects. The Citizens Armed Force was not a paramilitary force. A national task force had been created to disband private armed groups in Bangsamoro and in the adjacent Regions 9 and 12. 130. The collective rights of indigenous peoples were being protected by the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. There had been no forced evictions of indigenous peoples owing to mining operations. Ancestral domains could not be accessed by mining companies without the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples. That prohibition was also applicable to the armed forces, except in “hot pursuit” operations. The Philippine Development Plan for 2017-2022 raised awareness of the rights of indigenous peoples. 131. Recommendations relating to the death penalty would be discussed with the leaders of Congress. The Government was committed to ending killings and supressing, to the extent possible, crime caused by the consumption of illegal drugs, corruption and poverty. 132. In summary, the delegation reiterated that the Philippines consistently maintained a culture of respect for human rights; relevant mechanisms and institutions to enable compliance with treaty obligations were in place and functioned properly; the Philippines encouraged inclusiveness in complying with its human rights obligations by encouraging the participation of all stakeholders; the Philippines continued to make significant strides in promoting and protecting the human rights of vulnerable sectors of society; and there was no State policy promoting, sanctioning or encouraging extrajudicial killings, as all law enforcement operations in pursuit of the anti-illegal drug campaign were conducted within the boundaries of the law, as instructed by President Duterte. II. Conclusions and/or recommendations 133. The recommendations formulated during the interactive dialogue and listed below will be examined by the Philippines, which will provide responses in due time, but no later than the thirty-sixth session of the Human Rights Council: 133.1 Ratify all conventions to which the country is not yet a party (Gabon); 10