Author Topic: At long last, house helpers get their due  (Read 677 times)

hubag bohol

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At long last, house helpers get their due
« on: May 02, 2013, 09:56:53 AM »
By Vince Nonato, VERA Files | The Inbox – 21 hours ago


She’s been housekeeper for 23 years, but for the first time this year Gigi Sacare might just be receiving benefits on top of her pay.

Sacare, 35, migrated from Davao to Metro Manila and has been working as a domestic helper since she was 12. Today, May 1, she and thousands of other house helpers will be celebrating their first Labor Day as official members of the country’s workforce.

The recent passage of Republic Act No. 10361, also called Batas Kasambahay or the Domestic Workers Act, has given Sacare and many others the chance to assert their right to better welfare and treatment. The law was signed in January, while its implementing rules and regulations were approved on April 25, expected to be released on May 10.

But even with a law, it may take some time before helpers can enjoy the full benefits as most of them do not have papers, even as basic as a birth certificate. In most cases, employers usually do not ask for proper documentation and do not give out contracts, exposing helpers to maltreatment and abuse.

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hubag bohol

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Re: At long last, house helpers get their due
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2013, 09:57:23 AM »
"Ngayon ko lang naisipan na gusto kong [mag-SSS]. Noon, hindi ko pa alam yun. (It was only recently that I have thought of availing benefits from the Social Security System. I never knew about it)," Sacare said.

It was Angelica Carballo, her employer since 2011, who told Sacare about the new law, which requires employers to have their helpers avail of social welfare benefits like the SSS and Philhealth, the national health insurance program.

Without the proper documents, however, Sacare might have to wait a little longer. Sacare doesn’t have a birth certificate registered with the National Statistics Office, a requirement in processing transactions with the government.

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hubag bohol

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Re: At long last, house helpers get their due
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2013, 09:57:53 AM »
Basic paperwork

Lilibeth Masamloc, an advocate for the rights of domestic workers, said domestic workers like Sacare who do not have the proper papers can still apply for late registration with the nearest Local Civil Registry Office.

“Before hiring them, advise them to secure their Birth certificate. Actually during the SSS orientation, if the domestic worker doesn't have a birth certificate, she can bring along with her other pertinent documents,” she advised.

To avail of Philhealth coverage, Masamloc said baptismal certificates could be used in place of birth certificates.
All this would be new for domestic workers like Sacare, who’s been employed only through referrals.

Gigi Sacare has been working as a house helper for 35 year with no benefits. Photo by …“Wala namang nagtatanong na amo (No employer has ever asked for documents),” she said.

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hubag bohol

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Re: At long last, house helpers get their due
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2013, 09:58:20 AM »
Masamloc, who was once a helper when she was 13, said what’s good about the law is that it recognizes that “domestic work is work and domestic workers are workers. “

“The state gives recognition to the contribution of domestic workers to the engine of the economy,” she added.

The law also pegs their minimum wage at the same rate as other workers, and entitles them to the same benefits.

In the law, a kasambahay’s minimum monthly wage ranges from P1,500 in provinces to P2,500 in cities. It may even go as high as P5,000 depending on the person’s training and experience. The law also requires employers to give out contracts.

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hubag bohol

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Re: At long last, house helpers get their due
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2013, 09:58:53 AM »
Benefits of law

But even without the law, there are employers like Carballo who make sure helpers are treated well. Sacare said that Carballo pays for her fare when she asks for a leave to go home. She also get days off from housekeeping and babysitting.

Sacare’s 22-year-old sister, however, is not as lucky with her employer of four years, who has refused to give SSS benefits, 13th month pay and even refuses to cover expenses when she falls ill.

“Magpagamot siya, sarili niyang pera (If she needs medical treatment, she has to spend her own money),” she said, remembering the time her sister got sick with dengue.

Sacare said that at times, it’s really up to the employer.

The good thing about the Kasambahay law is that it “provides grounds to protect” both the employer and the employee, Masamloc said.

She also suggested that the government should hold massive awareness campaigns and encourage domestic workers to join associations where they can be better informed of their rights.

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Re: At long last, house helpers get their due
« Reply #5 on: September 25, 2013, 03:52:07 PM »
i've been studying this.  our household help has been with us since 1984.  we sent her to school, from high school to college.  i'm proud that she's a college degree holder (education, major in pre-school) though she never bothered to look for a job and showed disinterest no matter how we prodded her.  my terms: she leaves us only for two reasons, she holds a professional job somewhere else, or she gets married.  none of the two happened.

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Re: At long last, house helpers get their due
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2013, 04:10:06 PM »
she's had her SSS since way back, but then she stopped as she got tired of going to the SSS to pay her monthly contributions in an endless queue.  (there was no easy payment outlets yet that time she stopped contributing.)

my problem now is that with this law, we're supposed to go back all the way to 1984 in terms of back payments.  if we didn't, she would miss her pension.  whew!  that's no mean amount.  i don't think i could afford the total SSS payables including interests accruing her.  and i don't think i'm the only one worrying over this.  her philhealth and pag-ibig membership i believe would be affordable if we started her membership now.

i'll study this some more.  i really want her to have all that's due her.  she's like a sister to us.

p.s. her pay is more than double that of what is required by law, and usually she gets 5k on her birthday and 10k on christmas.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=72403.0
Republic Act 8485 (Animal Welfare Act of 1998, Philippines), as amended and strengthened by House  Bill 6893 of 2013--- violation means a maximum of P250,000 fine with a corresponding three-year jail term and a minimum of P30,000 fine and six months imprisonment

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