Kasambahay Bill

[poshgurl]

Mga sis, what can you say about this lalo na ngayong pini-push talaga nila to?
Are you in favor or not?

[dolly]

Not aware of this, sis, ano bang merun dyan sa bill?

[dara_01]

here a link: http://www.nenepimentel.org/bills/SBN-1678.asp

as a background:

EXPLANATORY NOTE

          This bill recognizes the dignity and the nobility of the household helper industry.   

          Under this proposed legislation, the rights and interests of household helper are enhanced and protected by ensuring just and equitable terms and conditions of their employment are embodied in their contract with their employers.  This includes the payment of at least the minimum wage, 13th month pay, Social Security System (SSS) and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) coverage, maternity and paternity benefits.  Under this proposed law, employers are prohibited from sub-contracting the service of the household helper to any third party or household.

          Likewise provided in this bill are the enumeration of the special rights and privileges of household helpers of minority age, as well as rights and privileges of self-employed, and part-time or day-to-­day household helpers.

  This proposed legislation is an affirmation of the value and dignity of every person and guarantee full respect for human rights.

          The approval of this bill is earnestly requested.

 AQUILINO Q. PIMENTEL JR.

^^the purpose is nice, pero i don't know if all can comply on this if approved.  i for one, we don't have that much resources to provide this to our kasambahay.

[muahmuahmuah]

yeah not all can afford and comply to this. siguro one of the flaws nito would be is when you have stay in helpers if they'll be treated equally as a regular working employee with all the perks. would it be rightful for the employers to charge the kasambahay rent? plus marami employers na matapobre when it comes to household help na kung magtrato ng help mas special pa ang pets nila kesa sa people who serve them. mas kelangan nila ng protection from evil employers i think

[cherrhys]

Ako, di agree or not in favor of this bill.  Not because I'm matapobre pero di talaga siya feasible.  For one, househelpers are stay-ins unlike regular employees so pano naman susundan yung 8-9hours na parang office hours lang.  Pano yung pagkain nila, yung pagstay sa house?  Does it mean that after 5 or 6pm eh walang work?  Or may overtime na?  Then madami ring helpers na di tumatagal like a month lang or less pa nga so pano yung mga SSS/PhilHealth, etc.?

Lastly, admittedly may mga abusadong amo talaga BUT pano naman yung mga among naabuso?  What are our protection naman?  Lalo na sa panahon ngayon ang hirap ng humanap ng matitinong helpers.  Then nandyan din yung budget.  Di naman kasi lahat ng kumukuha ng househepers eh "mayayaman", kasi sa bill na ito parang ganun ang gustong palabasin.  Kawawa naman yung mga working moms na force to get yayas para may magalaga ng mga anak nila.

Basta malabo itong bill na ito for me, pwede siguro sa mga stay-out.  IMO, they are, AGAIN, trying to imitate the west wherein househelps are mostly stay-outs who just come in to clean house for the day then goes home at night.

[hunny_ally]

Ako naman I agree to certain points...like giving minimum wage (siyempre factor in mo yung gastos mo sa kanya for food, living expenses, etc). There are some kasi Hindi "makatarungan" ang suweldo. I know someone who gives only 2k as salary but I know for sure she can afford more than that. I do not agree hiring minors as well so that's a good point to add it sa bill. But like what you mentioned here, madami pang kailangan baguhin with the bill. And cherrys is right how about protection of employers from abusadong katulongs?

Buti don't think they'll be able to pass this bill. Hindi nga umuusad sa house of representatives eh.

[pinkberries]

Nah, I also don't agree especially sa maternity benefits.  Why would you even hire a pregnant househelp, whose job is to clean the house, do all the laundry, etc. ?  Hindi naman sila office employee na nakaupo lang most of the time.  Kailangan talaga ang physical work pag katulong tapos buntis?  Palitan mo na lang ng iba.

Dahil sa iilan na malupit na amo (physical violence), meron ng ganito?  Marami ding abusadong helpers, lalo na mga katulong mahilig magtelebabad sa phone.     At iniwanan ka na lang na mataas ang phone bill mo.   Dapat magpasa din sila ng bill to protect the employers.


SECTION. 24. Prohibition on Bonded labor. — It shall be prohibited for the employer to use future services of the house helper as collateral for a loan or advance made by the latter. Likewise, it shall be prohibited for the employer to bind the household helper for his or her continuous employment as a form of payment for any loan or advance made by the latter. Should a household helper with an outstanding loan or advance decide to unilaterally terminate the contract of employment, he or she shall pay said loan or advance under terms and conditions specified in a duly-executed promissory note between the parties.


Ewan ko lang pero ano palagay nila sa mga employers, Bangko?  Pwede utangan anytime.   At dahil walang makukulong sa utang, promissory note na lang?

goodluck, hindi ka na babalikan para magbayad sila ng utang.   

[aquacharly]

Susko.

Pano protection nga  naman ng mga  amo sa panloloko, pang aabuso ng mga helpers?  Sorry, ganun na lang?   Susko.

Yeah, empower them unfairly -- sige, tulad nang pag unionize ng garment workers,eh di dead ang garment industry natin. 

Sige, mag contracts tayo  left and right. Baka pag cuenta eh makita  nga nila abonadong abonado  mga amo -- I am talking of all  amos, hindi lang mga nasa top villages.  Aba, si Inday pala -- mas madaming oras sa pag tv and mani pedi and nap kesa gawa. Sure, cuentahan  tayo. Mgkabit nga ko  ng cctvs lol.

[cherrhys]

^Exactly!  Imagine that after "office hours" ni yaya eh puro unli text na with matching teleserye pa.  All at the employers expense!  Daig pa ang may bakasyonista sa bahay ah. At pano naman yung mga graveyard shift na amo?  Don't tell me they have to pay their kasambahays overtime kasi nga after "office hours" na yung lalabas na trabaho nila.  Sus!  Di talaga nagiisip itong mga congressmen/senador natin.

[aquacharly]

^ nasa isip lang kasi to pander to voters.

[hunny_ally]

^as if the maids vote based on their congressmen's accomplishments. most of the maids na dumaan sa akin, they vote daw based on who can give the biggest money. That's why every election time they like to go on vacation 

[dolly]

Ate Cristina! Hahaha, puso mo! Kumusta ang mga chikitings?

Mahirap nga itong bill na ito, o dami na nag-react na amo, so dapat kung may kasambahay bill, may amo's bill din hehe. Ganun kaya nila itrato ang mga kasambahay nila hence that kind of bill? Pag umutang promissory note pwede na, walang obligahan, bait naman nila.  E kung may abusadong kasambahay(na mas karaniwan kesa sa mga mababait talaga), e di wala na, riot ito!

[mooncake and leaves]

yung sa prohibition on bonded labor-the way i understood it, in case a helper seeks a loan or an advance from the employer, the employer can not bind a helper to an unpaid and extended labor as a form of payment for the loan, which is a common practice talaga among employers. meaning, the employer can not say to the househelp that "bilang bayad utang, magtatrabaho ka nang walang bayad" and stuff to that effect.

as for maternity benefits, correct me if i'm wrong but i believe they don't kick in until after 2 years of aggregate employment. coincidentally, there is no part in the bill that says you have to keep that househelp for longer than 2 years, thereby allowing employers to escape providing that to the help.

the minimum wage is set at P1,500/month-a substandard wage if you ask me but i suppose the author/s factored in the lodging/food/medical expenses that the employers are already burdened with.

to be fair, i agree that the working hours should be modified since for the most part, household work especially when you have kids is very different from regular work. walang pinipiling oras ang needs ng family. but i suppose, if you think about it, the bulk of work falls during the daytime talaga-groceries, cleaning, cooking. but in the case of babysitters, mahirap sundin ang normal hours. still, i guess they were trying to emphasize that employers can't overwork their help.

honestly, i think the bill is long overdue. there are parts to be tweaked but for the most part, stripped of the special circumstances their job entails, they are entitled to the same rights as regular employees. kung 'di maka-comply eh 'di wag magkatulong. it's as simple as that

[cherrhys]

^^Dolly, di naman ako masyadong high blood.    Medyo nawindang lang ako sa bill na ito.  I mean yung mga nakaisip nito either di pa nabibiktima ng mga abusadong kasambahay (swerte naman nila) or walang alam sa palakad sa bahay. 

^The thing is whether we like it or not, they really are not "regular employees".  Its as simple as that.  I agree about regulating their minimum wages and protecting them against those abusive employers.  Pero yung maternity benefits, promissory notes, regulated(as in office hours) work hours...malabo talaga yan.  In the first place a regular employee doesn't have the unlimited usage of t.v., eat all you sa pantry/kitchen, unlimited texting time.  I mean if ginagawa mo lahat yan sa workplace mo eh di siguro matagal ka ng umemployed.  We can't force them to be "professionals" kasi di naman talaga sila ganun.  They are different from those working sa housekeeping ng mga hotels.  I want to reiterate that not all those who hire househelpers are "rich" people, most of them are working class people who have no choice but to hire "yayas" to help look after their children while they go and make a living.

Honestly, househelpers/kasambahays' situations are very complicated.  That's why I said na mahabang usapan yan.  One cannot simply quantify it in a bill.  Because the household is a never going to be an office or a company.  Di natatapos ang mga nangyayari sa loob ng isang bahay.

Just to add...I'm just curious sa ibang countries ba like USA or HongKong regulated din ang working hours ng mga housekeepers na stay-in? May promissory notes din lang ba at maternity leaves/benefits?

[tabbru]

Ang hindi ko maintindihan ay yung "special rights and privileges for those helpers who are of minority age." To be honest, maraming kasambahay talaga sa ngayon ang below 18. And I believe na dahil wala na silang chance makapag-aral at napipilitan ng magtrabraho to help their family at an early age, ang best option pa rin nila ay mamasukan sa bahay kesa magtambay-tambay sa kalye.

By asking the employers to give them special privileges, sino pa ang magha-hire sa kanila? Tama, hindi naman lahat ng homeowners na may kasambahay ay may pera talaga. Niraraos lang din kadalasan ang pagkakaroon ng yayas para makapagtrabaho.

Ang tingin ko ang kailangang maienforce nang ay yung rights nila against physical and verbal abuse. Dapat meron talagang special department na maghahandle sa case nila. Pero yung sa wage, I guess palagi namang may option ang isang kasambahay kung papasok siya sa isang household dahil satisfied na siya sa sweldo. Pwede naman siyang hindi tumuloy kung naliliitan siya, di ba?

[dolly]

^^Iba -iba kasi sitwasyon ng bawat isang nagha-hire ng helper. Baka hindi nila nai-take into consideration yung mga amo na tama lang ang kinikita for everyday family expenses. Baka ang ibig nila sabihin, kung di natin kayang sundin yung bill, wag na tayo maghelper hehe. Which is imposible in the case ng mga naghahanap ng work na kesa naman sa walang kitain e di mag-apply na rin kahit maliit sweldo nila. Sa akin nga may nag-a-apply na graduate ng teacher e, pero gusto mag-yaya kay Gam. Di ko tinanggap kahit need ko pa talaga.

Di talaga pwedeng parang regular employees ang trato, paano yun pag natutulog alaga nya, sya rin tulog, ano gisingin ko at sabihin kong oras pa ng trabaho nya maghanap sya ng gagawin sa bahay. E like yaya ko, stay in sya pero babangon sya as late as 7am pa minsan, e yung mga chikitings ko minsan 5am pa lang gising na. Kanya-kanya naman kasing palakad yan e kaya mahirap yung mga nasabi sa bill. Baka nga helper mo na mismo mahiya nyan sayo pag ganyan ang kaayusan. 9 hours? wag na lang sya mag stay-in para maka-menos pa ako sa ibang expenses ko sa kanya.

Baka isipin ng iba nakakatakot akong amo, hehe, hindi naman, kasi madaming perks ang helper ko. Like, she has an option to go back to her studies basta maayos namin ang schedule nya. Wala pa syang 1 year sa kin, twice na ako nagtaas ng sahod nya. Anytime pwede sya umuwi sa kanila, sya lang may ayaw, anytime pwede sya mag-advance. I told her na aaplayan ko na sya ng SSS, ayaw ng loka-loka, akala ata super laki mababawas sa kanya. I insisted pa rin, kasi isasama ko sya sa paglabas ng bansa at kailangan nya ng valid ID's. In connection with this, I'm pretty sure hindi lang ako ang nakaka-afford na magbigay ng ganito sa mga helpers nila. So, kung ang iniisip lang nila is yung para sa mga helper lang, aba teka muna, parang sila naman ang umaabuso nyan sa kin.

SECTION. 4. Employment Contract — An employment contract shall be executed by and between the employer and household helper before the commencement of the service, in a dialect or language understandable to both parties. It must be duly signed and notarized. Each party must have a copy of the said contract.

A contract of employment shall include the following provisions:

(a)   period of employment which shall not exceed two (2) years for the initial contract; thereafter it may be renewed annually;

(b)   monthly compensation and mode of payment;

(c)   allowable leave, rest days and holidays;

(d)   working hours, rest periods and day-off;

(e)   living quarters, and food and medical provisions;

(f)     duties and responsibilities;

            (g)   Social Security System (SSS) and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) contributions; and

(h)   annual salary increases.  Provided, That in the case of employment of a house helper of minority age, said contract of employment shall be signed on his or her behalf by either parent or legal guardian, with the express consent of the minor. 

2 years contract initially, pwede kong papirmahin sila ng kontrata for that? I would love that yung lang kung i-ba-bind ko sa ganitong kontrata ang mag-aapply sa kin baka wala ng mag-aaply. Kung tutuusin, ang mga ganitong work sila yung may pinakamadaming option and privileges. 2 years ka dyan e, minsan nga two hours pa lang gusto na umalis ng helper pag di nya feel sayo at bilang employer wala kang magagawa dun. Bakit di subukan ni senador na gumawa muna ng feasibility study bago ipasa tong bill na to. Mag-interview baga sya ng mga helper kung pabor sila sa bill na ito. Baka sila mismo umatras sa mga kontratang merun dyan.  Mahirap gawing katulad ng "regular work" ang pag-kakasambahay, why? Kasi hindi naman forever e pangarap nilang maging kasambahay na lang. Admit or not pag kasambahay ka, there's a bit sense of self degradation. So who would want to stay forever as kasambahay. Parang sa pulubi yan eh, pag pinalimusan mo, forever na syang pulubi kasi kumikita sya dun. Kung totoo kang nag-aalala sa kapakanan  ng kasambahay mo, long term goals dapat isipin mo. Tamang makataong trato sa kanila, at hindi tipong pang-executive employee, kasi ako mismo ayoko ring yaya lang ang yaya ko forever, ayokong makuntento na sya sa natatanggap nya sa akin at asahan na andyan lang sya sa tabi namin. Ang sugapa ko naman, hindi lang tayong mga amo ang tao sa mundo, but then, hindi lahat ng amo nagmamalupit sa helper nila, kaya sana wag sila bias hehe. Ay napahaba, sowee poh!

[muahmuahmuah]

Just to add...I'm just curious sa ibang countries ba like USA or HongKong regulated din ang working hours ng mga housekeepers na stay-in? May promissory notes din lang ba at maternity leaves/benefits?

sa u.s. parang di naman din regulated, if it is marami hindi sumusunod although most go by the per hour pay and a lot depends on the type of household and or the employer lang talaga. some are receive employee perks and pay or salaried kahit walang ginagawa and kahit magabsent full pay, baby sitters usually per hour who aren't stay in,  others pay small kung live in kasi they consider the expenses like rent water consumption etc. depende sa state/city and who's getting hired magugulat ka na minsan employers rin take advantage may iba because stay in receive as low as $200 a month for 8 hrs of work per day. pag na timbre nalang na may abusive business/ employee-household help practices malaki ang fine/ imprisonment for employers who get caught.

[aquacharly]

Oh yes, Mr Pimentel -- bring it on!  they may be so greedy as to be sufficiently stup1d to go along unil, soon:  boink! They realize they never had it soooo good until you came long. Lol

1500 per month? Tagal na walang ganun. It is all about the Law of Supply and Demand -- they shift employers faster than call center agents.  1500. Lol, may sisipot pa for an interview?  You won't get a helper, but a prospective non-paying boarder you gotta feed, allw use of your tv, and give a 1500 allowance to.

2yr contracts, renewable every year? Yes, yes, yes - we employers like that!  Lol, my long-time helpers  won't like that.  Where are we now?  Every 2 weeks - 2days off. Tapos after 11months - 1 month off with pay.  Asan ang 1 year ko? Lol.   

Problem ni Mr Pimentel he sees the sign on and sign off times lang. Hindi nakikita yung 2hr naps, mani-
pedi hours, dvd/tv hour, etc. Lol. Pa work mo nga yan 4 hrs straight eh bibilangan  ka. By the 3rd day -
- Ate may  sakit ako, uuwi na  lang ako.  Lol.

Going back - do my helpers take their weekends off every 2 wks? Lol, most do not, just once a month. 
Reasons: magastos.  Maingay kapitbahay, hindi ako makatulog. Kapagod - gawa ko lahat sa bahay:
laba, linis,  palengke.  Masikip. Mainit. Hirap tubig. Etc etc etc.  Yeah,  they've  never had it soooo good. 

Bonded labor?  Naku, guni guni mo lang  yan, Mr Pimentel. mag off yan, tapos hindi na babalik.  Kanino ka magreport unpaid iou??  Sa office mo? Tapos?  Lol.    i do not give advances coz there is no recourse
For non-payment. Andyan man sa yo, grrrrr kasi human nature -- pag nakuha na pera, tamad na yan,
sasagot  sagot na yan, belat mo! Lol

Sige, regulate it.. Put in meal allwances too. Lol. Baka sila sumuko kasi mas malakas sila consume  sa
amo family ha -- usually.  Sige lista mo perks, para padala ko lang sa public health center kesa mga
doctors and hospital ko.    Sige, lol.  Para mag cuentahan kami nang mga dvd nila charge to me na sabay  pa buy sa messenger ko.   Mas mahaba pa list nila ha.  ma'am maganda yung... Panoorin mo, tapos na kami.  Lol, yeah right!

Sige, Mr Pimentel-- cuentahan  tayo.  Even ordinary  employees over compensate  their help, sigurado  ako. 

baka naman ako mali. CHERRYS - sino kaya dito may 1500/mo na helper?   

[cherrhys]

^LOL!  Aquacharly, you always make me laugh with your posts but I do agree with everything you've said.  P1500 per month???  P3000 nga parang ang hirap na humanap eh.    You forgot to mention the snacks/food na parang eat-all-you-can.  And those from the province na after makarating ng Maynila biglang ayaw ng magtrabaho.  Ginawa lang palang ticket to Manila yung employer.  2 years??  Matuwa na nga tayo if they stayed more than 6 months.

Hay!  These people doesn't have a clue in running the household talaga much less in hiring and managing the hires helps. 

[vanj19]

i think hindi pwede minimum wage kasi free boarding, food and so many things, minsan pa nga baka mas malaki pa ang take home nila kesa sa mga daily wage earner kasi gastos pa sila transpo, food, clothing, housing, etc.