Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan has highlighted the need for Congress to put in place measures that would provide equal protection for “no-work, no-pay” female workers in the informal economy as the nation celebrates National Women’s Month this March.
Championing the cause of disadvantaged women, Yamsuan also said new legislation needs to be enacted to ensure adequate legal representation for women who are victims of abuse but lack the means to defend themselves in court.
“The government has made great strides in empowering women as nation builders and key contributors to our country’s development. But much work still needs to be done for marginalized women who lack protection and representation in the economic and legal fronts,” Yamsuan said.
To ensure equal protection for female workers in the informal sector, Yamsuan has proposed the grant of maternity cash benefits to them equivalent to 22 times the prevailing minimum wage rate in the region where they live.
According to Yamsuan, female informal workers are those who are not covered by Social Security System (SSS) benefits. They include freelancers, home-based workers, those working under the ‘no-work, no-pay’ arrangement, and other unrecognized or unregulated employment activities.
He had earlier filed House Bill (HB) 10070 which aims to provide such benefits to female workers in the informal economy. This basic social protection should be made available to working mothers as they nurture themselves back to health and care for their newborn babies and families, Yamsuan said.
Based on independent estimates, over 6.6 million female workers in the informal economy stand to benefit from the passage of the bill, which seeks to amend certain provisions of Republic Act 11210 or the “Expanded Maternity Leave Law.”
Yamsuan also wants the government to facilitate the use of expert testimony in favor of battered women facing criminal cases, particularly those involving indigent victim-survivors.
He is a co-author of House Bill (HB) 4706, which authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ), in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), to analyze and disseminate information regarding the admissibility and quality of testimony of witnesses with expertise relating to battered women.
“With this proposed measure, we hope to curtail the rise in the number of women who are victims of physical violence and psychological and emotional abuse by their partners,” said Yamsuan, a member of the House Committee on Justice.
This pro-women measure also provides for the development and dissemination of training materials to facilitate the appropriate use of experts to provide testimony in criminal trials of battered women, especially those involving indigent victim-survivors, Yamsuan said.
“The novel concept of Battered Woman Syndrome requires the testimonies of experts to prove this and ensure that victim-survivors are not penalized for any criminal or civil liability by the courts. Women who lack the means to secure these expert testimonies should get proper assistance from the government,” Yamsuan added.
According to the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 17.5 percent of Filipino women aged 15-49 have experienced some form of physical, sexual, and emotional violence from their intimate partners. As of 2021, there were 8,399 reported cases of physical violence, 1,791 cases of rape, and 1,505 cases of acts of lasciviousness against women.
HB 10070 and HB 4706 are both pending at the committee level in the House of Representatives.
With the 19th Congress in recess and set to resume for a short period only from June 2 to 13, it is highly unlikely that the two bills would be passed on time.
Yamsuan, who currently represents the Bicol Saro Partylist in the House, vowed to refile both pro-women measures when he secures a congressional seat as Parañaque City’s 2nd District representative in the next Congress.
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