VILLAR CALLS FOR HIGHER WAGES FOR HOUSEHELPERS

Senator Manny Villar, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, recently filed Senate Bill 2275 or an act increasing the minimum wage of househelpers.

The explanatory note on Villars bill cites that the minimum wage prescribed for househelpers under Presidential Decree (PD) 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines passed in 1993 or 13 years ago are not realistic anymore.

I understand that many employers, in their own volition, are already paying their house helps much more than the prescribed minimum wage law under PD 442, which is really good. But we should still revise existing laws for those who are still paid measly salaries, cites Villar.

Article 143 of PD 442 sets the following minimum wage for househelpers: P800 a month for those working in the cities of Manila, Quezon, Pasay, Caloocan, Makati and municipalities of San Juan, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Malabon, Paraaque, Las Pias, Pasig, Marikina, Valenzuela, Taguig, Pateros and other highly urbanized cities; P650 for those in other chartered cities and first-class municipalities; and P500 for those in other municipalities.

Villars bills seeks to increase the minimum wage of househelpers as follows: from P800 to P1,200 in highly urbanized or key cities in Metro Manila; from P650 to P950 in chartered cities and first-class municipalities; and from P550 to P750 in other municipalities.

It is hoped that such increase would stem the tide of migration of househelpers from rural areas to urban areas, raise the minimum wages to realistic levels and at the same time give dignity to domestic household help, which is among the most back-breaking and demanding jobs that one can have, further cites Villar.