In line with the celebration of Labor Day on May 1, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano renewed his push for the passage of the proposed Enhanced Kasambahay Act to provide additional rights and benefits for all domestic workers in the country.
Cayetano said if approved, Senate Bill No. 299 will entitle all kasambahay to a paid study period of at least an hour per day for their continuing alternative or skills education.
“If approved, Senate Bill No. 299 will entitle all kasambahay to a paid study period of at least an hour per day for their continuing alternative or skills education.”
The veteran legislator also proposed that the government create a practical module specific for the alternative learning of kasambahays, which shall be handled by a special committee to be named “Kasambahay Education Inter-Agency Committee”.
The Committee will also make internet-enabled devices accessible to all kasambahays to ensure their continued learning.
“Para naman hindi sila habangbuhay na stuck sila sa pagiging kasambahay.”
“We want to reduce social inequalities by allowing our kasambahays to self-improvement learning, para naman hindi sila habangbuhay na stuck sila sa pagiging kasambahay,” the seasoned lawmaker stressed.
The senator also wants the local government unit (LGU) of the domestic workers’ respective workplaces to provide them with free maintenance medicine for chronic illnesses, including diabetes, hypertension, asthma, tuberculosis, and others that will be determined by the Department of Health (DOH).
The medicines, which will be covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), will be delivered to the recipients on a monthly or quarterly basis.
Cayetano lamented how the average monthly salary of the very workers whose “role in the basic unit of our society is very vital” remains at P4,141, making it difficult for them to access other social services to help them find better opportunities.
“As of November 2021, the minimum wage for kasambahays ranges from as high as P5,000 in the National Capital Region to as low as P2,000 in Region XI,” he said in the bill’s Explanatory Note.
“Developing a more comprehensive measure for the welfare of our kasambahays will enable them to maintain good health conditions and help upskill their potential,” Cayetano concluded.
