Council seeks insurance for unemployed

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Council has urged Congress to pursue the possibility of enacting a legislative measure which will provide comprehensive unemployment insurance to all employees in the private and government sectors.

Councilor Raul Alcoseba sponsored a resolution regarding the matter which was approved by the council.

Alcoseba said in the past two years, many businesses in the city were forced to close and some had to give up some of its employees to keep the business running during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said due to the restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many employees in the city lost their jobs and during the lockdown, finding jobs was a remote possibility.

“This representation believes that comprehensive unemployment insurance for all employees should be pursued considering that unemployment insurance is a social security benefit for those who lost their jobs,” said Alcoseba.

In 2009, the International Labour Organization (ILO) constituents met to have an initial sharing of ideas on unemployment insurance and proposed to conduct a study on the feasibility of introducing an unemployment insurance scheme in the Philippines.

The ILO feasibility study, dated February 2010, is entitled “Social Protection in Case of Unemployment in the Philippines.”

The report concluded that unemployment insurance in the Philippines is feasible and that in combination with possible changes in the labor law could help to make the labor market more protected for workers at the same time as more able to cope with changes in production and productivity demands as well as with global competition.

“The proposal is based on the assumption that employers and employees would contribute in a responsible way to a feasible long term solution. It could serve as a basis for negotiation and further discussion between employers, trade unions and government,” a portion of the study’s executive summary read. — GMR (FREEMAN)