CHR backs bill granting maternity benefits for women workers in informal sector

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights has called for the passage of a Senate bill granting women from the informal sector maternity benefits, pointing out that the law excludes women who have not made contributions to the Social Security System.

Senate Bill 148 amends the Republic Act 11210 or Expanded Maternity Leave Act to include a provision granting pregnant informal female workers a one-time maternity cash benefit. 

The Expanded Maternity Leave Law only grants benefits to SSS members and excludes those that cannot make voluntary contributions, “like sari-sari store owners, handicraft and tool assemblers, street vendors, and farmers,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros said when she filed the Senate Bill No. 148 in 2022.

About 250,000 Filipino women do not have access to SSS benefits as members of the informal sector, the CHR said, justifying the urgent passage of the measure.

“As we account for the average minimum wage in the country—which falls below Php 570—amidst sizable costs and fees, the passage of the bill is expedient for the Filipino women in the informal sector and their children,” CHR said.

According to the human rights body, the continuous spike in prices for goods and commodities is causing household members, including pregnant women, to engage in the informal sector as they strive to meet their families' needs.

“Even with this sector's large contribution to the economy, measuring up to 12.8% of the country’s GDP in 2019, and significant number of constituents, employing 5.72 million people, they remain unprotected and unsupported,” the CHR said.

The Senate Bill would also help ensure that women in the informal economy enjoy the same benefits as those in the formal sector, the CHR added.

“Providing the disadvantaged women workforce not only the healthcare services and time, but also the economic means to sustain their families from the very onset of pregnancy is also a timely response to pressing issues, such as poverty and malnutrition,” the CHR said.