Congressman wants domestic workers on vaccine priority list

A LAWMAKER on Sunday pushed for the inclusion of domestic workers, or kasambahay, under the economic frontline workers group that is next in line for priority vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a statement on Sunday, Probinsyano Ako Partylist Rep. Jose C. Singson, Jr. said household helpers need “immediate protection” and called on the national task force managing the COVID-19 response to consider their addition in the A4 vaccination category.

“I can’t see any valid justification to exclude kasambahays in the vaccine priority list. If we want families that do not go outside their homes safe from the virus, we should also have our kasambahays inoculated the soonest possible time like all other workers tagged as essential or frontline,” he said.

Mr. Singson cited that Republic Act No. 10361 or the Domestic Workers Act mandates employers to safeguard the health and security of the household helper.

There are about 1.4 million kasambahays in the country as of Oct. 2020, based on data from the Labor department and the Philippine Statistics Authority. — Gillian M. Cortez