Support the passage of the Domestic Worker's Bill by participating in the international letter campaign! Share this with your friends!

HELP US GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS...

E-MAIL THE PRESIDENT AND KEY LEGISLATORS TO PASS THE DOMESTIC WORKER'S BILL!

Just follow these three easy steps:

1) Copy the pro forma letter below. Edit as you like. Don't forget to write your name at the end. 

2) Copy and insert the e-mail addresses of the President and the legislators found below the letter. Please cc Visayan Forum through: [email protected] so that we can monitor the number of letters pouring in.

3) Send it! Congratulations! You've just made a difference in the lives of more than 1 million domestic workers in the Philippines!

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PASS THE DOMESTIC WORKERS BILL NOW

HER EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, LEADERS OF THE SENATE, LEADERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WE CALL FOR YOUR URGENT ACTION TO PASS BATAS KASAMBAHAY.

The has more than one million domestic workers serving Filipino households, a large percentage of which are women and children. They may be described as every family’s hero for taking the tasks of keeping the household so the employers can attend to their other jobs outside the home.

However, such significant role they play in the family is often taken for granted. Their work condition, benefits and compensation deprive them of their right to a just and humane living. Their vulnerability to the physical and psychological hazards of their work is an alarming reality that deserves immediate action.

Sadly though, while we clamor for justice for Filipino househelpers who suffer in foreign lands, the human rights violations against local household helpers within the remain prevalent and unsolved.

The outdated Labor Code fails to protect the interests and needs of domestic workers. It does not consider the informality and the privacy of their workplaces. In terms of benefits, it only provides a minimum monthly wage of P800 ($15). More so, it explicitly exempts domestic workers from benefiting from any law that increases the minimum wage of all workers.

Though it urges employers to “fairly and humanely treat their domestic workers,” the law also lacks specific attention to the already evident exploitative practices. Offenders remain unpunished and there is no penalty for abusing a domestic worker.

I strongly hope that your country will soon pass the Domestic Workers Bill. I strongly support the members of the civil society, employers and business groups, government officials, international agencies, religious groups, the academe, and domestic workers groups who are pushing for the passage of the Batas Kasambahay (Domestic Workers Bill), a pioneering effort of the to come up with a landmark law that is beneficial to domestic workers and employers.  

I understand that the proposed law intends to provide preventive and protective measures attuned to the pressing needs of domestic workers. It also aims to alleviate their standard working and living conditions and provide them with opportunities for development. These standards also protect the interests of employers by providing a clear benchmark on how domestic workers should relate to them.  

Why then should lawmakers continue to delay its approval?

I am aware that the Senate has extensively scrutinized its provisions in the past. The House of Representatives, on the other hand, has already approved it twice, in 1997 and 2001.

A similar bill is pending in the present Congress. I see no valid reason why legislators cannot pass it this time. 

It has come to my knowledge that the Visayan Forum, together with its partners, already launched the three-month signature gathering campaign, “Isang Milyong Pirma Para sa Batas Kasambahay” (One Million Signature for the Domestic Workers Bill) last April 24, coinciding with the celebration of Araw ng Kasambahay (Day of Domestic Workers) at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. 

I also learned that Cecilia Flores-Oebanda of VF, in her speech during the said celebration, emphasized the decade-old struggle of the civil society to push for the rights of the domestic workers and noted how long their advocacy for the passage of the Domestic Workers Bill has fallen on deaf ears.     

I also learned that the Quezon City government has already heeded to the call. It used the Domestic Workers Bill to draft and pass its own ground-breaking ordinance that encourages massive registration of domestic workers to make services accessible for them.

It is time to make a change. I am optimistic that the sad pattern in your country’s legislative process shall be broken: that many legislative measures are drafted and filed, but only few laws are passed and effectively enforced.

Thus, I support VF’s continuous advocacy for the domestic work sector and join them in pushing for the passage of the Domestic Workers Bill.

I also look forward to the launch of a National Domestic Workers’ Summit in July 2005. The event will gather domestic workers, government leaders, employers, religious and civil society groups and together come up with a national agenda for the domestic work sector. 

Across eight regions in the country, organizations are also starting to provide services, educational opportunities and skills trainings to child domestic workers who usually don’t have access to such benefits.

The list of efforts seems endless but everyone also needs legislative action from our policy makers. Many people fear that the Domestic Workers Bill may again take a back seat in Congress. Let us take this as a challenge. Let us make sure this does not happen again.

LET US TOGETHER SUPPORT THE PASSAGE OF THE DOMESTIC WORKERS BILL!

 

To deliver our strong message of support for the immediate passage of the Domestic Workers Bill,

we encourage everyone to send emails to:

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo-Republic of the

(through www.op.gov.ph/contact.asp)

Senate President Franklin Drilon

([email protected])

House Speaker Jose de Venecia

([email protected])

Senator Jinggoy Estrada

Senate Committee Chair on Labor, Employment and Human Resource Development

([email protected])

Congressman Roseller Barinaga

House Committee Chair on Labor and Employment

([email protected])

In support of the 1 million signature campaign, kindly furnish Visayan Forum ([email protected]) with a copy of the letters you would send out so they can keep track of developments and responses from partners and fellow advocates.