By Princes Mae Magbanua
Layout by Suzanne Pagkaliwangan
It took sixteen (16) years for
Congress to pass the Kasambahay Law or
Magna Carta for Domestic Workers , the
last legislation passed in Congress was in
1993 or nineteen (19) years ago , this was
Republic Act No. 7655, or An Act regarding
about Increasing the Minimum Wage of
Househelpers.
The Kasambahay Bill was signed into law
last January this year, which is expected
to benefit at least 2.5 million household
workers in the country. Employers of
household helpers are told to abide by the
Kasambahay Law (Republic Act 10361)
which took effect last June 4.
The Kasambahay Bill is an act instituting
policies for the protection and welfare of
domestic workers. This is a landmark piece of
labor and social legislation that recognizes
for the first time domestic workers as similar
to those in the formal sector. This goal
was aimed in able to strengthen respect,
protection, and promotion of the rights and
welfare of domestic workers or kasambahay.
It covers all kasambahay engaged
in domestic work within an employment
relationship such as general househelper,
nursemaid or yaya, cook, gardener, laundry
person, working children between 15 to 18
years of age, domestic workers or any person
who regularly performs domestic tasks in one
live out arrangements or household on an
occupational basis.
However, the law does not cover
service providers, family drivers, children
under foster family arrangement and person
who perform work occasionally and not
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on an occupational basis. The new law is
expected to benefit domestic helpers in
the Philippines but the question is does the
government really made a right process in
considering it as law that would benefit the
country?
“Boon or bane? This to my mind is
again another example of laws that are
passed without proper consultation with all
those who would be affected, especially
the employers of kasambahay, as well as it
has been passed and approved without the
proper assistance to employers in the matter
of the bureaucratic things they have to
endure” said by Mercedes B. Suleik who is a
columnist from a prominent newspaper.
Whether boon or bane the
government responsibility is to ensure that
the law was appropriate and was given a
proper process to pass in able to prevent
further consequences that the public must
suffer.
On the other side the law has its
advantages and a vision to help the
domestic helpers. In able to protect, respect
and promote the right s and welfare of
domestic workers.
“It is important that we treat our
kasambahays as workers, not servants. This is
a clear yardstick for equality in the country,
and this heralds better things to come
for other marginalized sectors,” as Loren
Legarda said, the principal author of the law.