Bill filed on cash aid for pregnant informal sector workers
A SENATOR filed a measure last week seeking to provide cash aid for pregnant workers in the informal sector.
Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel filed Senate Bill No. 2175 or the Maternity Benefit for Women in the Informal Economy Act of 2021, which will build on Republic Act No. 11210 or the Expanded Maternity Leave Law.
In a statement on Sunday, she said the measure is a “necessary upgrade” to the maternity leave law to benefit more mothers and infants.
The crisis prompted by the coronavirus, she said, has forced everyone in the household to contribute.
“Kaya tuloy napakaraming mga buntis ang patuloy sa pagkayod, kahit pa sa ilalim ng (That’s why so many pregnant women continue to work even under the) informal economy” where there are no maternity benefits, she said.
Under the bill, pregnant workers in the informal sector who are not members of the Social Security System will receive a one-time maternity cash aid through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The proposed amount would be equivalent to the minimum wage in the beneficiary’s region multiplied by 22 days.
The cash aid will be funded through revenues from excise taxes on sweetened beverages, alcohol, tobacco and vapor products and may be augmented by appropriations in the national budget.
Ms. Baraquel said this would also be an “economic booster” as it will provide additional cash to families as well as offset the cost of poor health among infants.
“A maternity benefit for women workers in the informal economy is not just a social justice measure and an important way to address the multiple burdens and increased vulnerabilities of women who are also mothers and informal workers, it also leads to demonstrable and quantifiable health outcomes at the population level,” the explanatory note of the bill read. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
