Jinggoy pushes defined working hours, living quarters
for migrant kasambahays

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada files a bill which aims to address undesirable working conditions of migrant domestic workers, also known as the "kasambahay."

Sen. Estrada signs Senate Bill 2493, An Act defining the working hours and providing for establishment of living quarters for migrant domestic workers in all major cities and localities of their destinations.

SB 2493 prescribes eight hours a day of work for migrant Filipino household service workers, and work rendered beyond the said period shall be remunerated accordingly.

The bill also provides living quarters for the kasambahays, where they shall reside during the period of their contract. The living quarters shall offer a decent shelter, a library and small clinic that will serve as refuge from physical and emotional harm from their employers.

Household service workers (HSWs) also include medical related workers, caregivers and caretakers, and others who work in household setting and perform duties and tasks that respond to domestic needs of the employer.

"Being the most vulnerable members of our migrant labor force, often exposed to maltreatment and physical and verbal abuse, we must institute measures that will not only afford place of safety in times of trouble, but will also define and uphold their rights as Filipino workers," said Estrada, concurrent chairman of Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development and Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Labor and Employment.

The bill comes after Sen. Estrada's recent visit to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates where he personally heard stories of abuse of kasambahays, and cases of overwork while being underpaid, no room of their own and insufficient food, and being tricked by their recruiters without place to go to.

Sen. Estrada also noted the case of at least 111 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were stranded in Kandara District flyover in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia while waiting for Saudi police to just arrest and deport them, and not to be investigated and detained for abandoning their employer-hosts who abused them. The OFWs - jobless, hungry and sick - lived under the bridge for several months before they were repatriated.

Based on Philippine Overseas Employment (POEA) report, "OFW Global Presence: A Compendium of Overseas Employment Statistics 2006," there are 1,062,567 OFWs deployed in 2006. The greatest number of workers falls under the Household and Related workers category, accounting for 29% of the total deployed land-based newly hires or a total of 91,451.

Sen. Estrada however, conceded that the best way to promote migrant workers' welfare is to negotiate for labor agreements with OFW host-countries and arrange bilateral or multilateral cooperation for the protection of overseas workers.

Sen. Estrada also authored and sponsored the Magna Carta for Kasambahay, a landmark labor bill which sets additional benefits for and ensures decent working conditions for our local kasambahay.