Employment protection for delivery riders pushed

CEBU, Philippines —  Senator Risa Hontiveros has urged the Department of Labor and Employment to swiftly issue guidelines and labor standards that will better protect and promote the welfare of delivery riders.

“Wala talaga silang health insurance and they are exposed sa element at sa aksidente because of the nature of their work at dahil hindi sila empleyado as they are freelancers wala din silang siguradong pension and retirement,” said Hontiveros in an interview with The Freeman.

The reelectionist senator is in Cebu since Friday until Sunday for her three-day campaign of her advocacies.

Hontiveros said the labor department should have guidelines that would address these unethical terms of employment, emphasizing that delivery riders must be considered “employees” since mobile app operators have control over their operations.

“Kapag empleyado ka syempre pwede ka nang maging member sa Social Security System (SSS) as well as health insurance coverage under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) at saka sa PagIBIG,” the senator said.

Hontiveros also stressed that it is vital for DOLE to craft specific and targeted measures for the informal and gig economies as they are seen to be on the rise with the country continuing to face economic recession.

Meanwhile, Hontiveros, who is seeking reelection launched in Mandaue City her campaign advocacy, the “Healthy Buhay at Hanapbuhay” bringing back to Cebu the Healthy Pinas Mobile Clinic wherein over 400 barangay residents have availed of free medical services.

“Mahirap po ang magka COVID pero hwag po nating kalimutan na meron pang mga ibang sakit panahon sa pandemya. Kaya nandito ako ngayon para bigyan kaayo nang libreng serbisyong medical,” she said.

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, who considered her friendship with the senator beyond politics, expressed his appreciation on the gesture of the latter of helping the city’s constituents not just in times of election season.

“Ang Mandaue wala masayop pagpili nimo isip senador kay dili ka motan-aw kinsa pa na ang imoha kay andam ug tagana ka moserbisyo. We are truly grateful. May our partnership will be strengthened and will continue in the future,” the mayor said.

Hontiveros, who was elected as first time senator in 2016, said that when she was the partylist representative for Akbayan and when Cortes was then a congressman in the sixth district of Cebu, both of them has worked on several health-related legislation that became a law including the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law in hospitals in times of an emergency situation.

“Together naghimo kami og mga balaod o proyekto with the na konektado lahat para masiguro na healthy ang ating buhay at nang mas makapag hanapbuhay tayo para sa ating minamahal sa buhay,” Hontiveros further said. — GMR (FREEMAN)