HONTIVEROS: END THE FILIPINO DIASPORA, PASS THE SECURITY OF TENURE BILL

Posted 7 months ago Apr 30, 2018 Billboard, The Nation 0

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A day before the country observes the international labor day, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros called for the immediate passage of the Security of Tenure (SoT) Bill to end the mass exodus of Filipino workers to other countries wanting to earn a decent living.

The Senator said that the passage of the SoT Bill is an integral part of a comprehensive alternative to the country's labor export policy.

"If the government wants our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to return home and end the Filipino diaspora, let us ensure that they will return to a country where regular and decent jobs are plentiful, where women workers are treated with the highest respect and where their health is the primary concern of the state," Hontiveros said.

"Huwag lang natin silang pauwiin. Pauwiin natin sila na may pag-asa at kasiguraduhan ng mas magandang bukas sa sarili nilang bansa," Hontiveros added.

Hontiveros, who is currently the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, said that the SoT Bill will protect workers from unscrupulous and discriminatory contracting and sub-contracting and strengthen the security of tenure of workers. The measure will also help in closing the gender gap in the labor sector. Citing data from the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Senator said that women in several ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, tend to have a bigger share of vulnerable employment than men.

"Filipino women have a lower labor participation rate compared to men, and those fortunate enough to be employed are more exposed to vulnerable employment like contractual jobs. Bukod sa mas mahirap makakuha ng disenteng trabaho Ang mga kababaihan, kung makahanap man ng pagkakakitaan, ito ay mga trabahong kontraktuwal," Hontiveros explained.

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