Jinggoy hopeful on benefits for workers

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada on Wednesday said he is hopeful that the passage of a bill granting better benefits to household workers would become a model legislation that the Philippines’ neighboring countries can look up to.

Estrada, head of the Senate committee on labor and employment, said the passage of the “Kasambahay Bill” would be a great leap forward not only for RP household workers but also for the Filipino domestic workers based overseas.

According to Estrada, some member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Middle East countries do not have a comprehensive welfare act for domestic workers.

“Once approved by the Congress and enacted into law, the Kasambahay law could become the model legislation where a similar ‘Kasambahay Law’ for RP’s neighboring nations can be patterned after,” Estrada said.

“We passed the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in 2003 or Republic Act 9208 through the stewardship of my mother Sen. Loi Ejercito Estrada.

It motivated other states to enact a similar law and the Philippines even led a discussion towards enactment of an anti-human trafficking policy and resolution of its related issues,” he recalled. –HANNH TORREGOZA, Manila BUlletin