Sponsorship Speech of Senator Risa Hontiveros
Committee Report 69 or SB 1411
(Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2020)
May 05, 2020

Magandang hapon po sa ating lahat, Mr. President.

Kung mayroong pang nangangailangan na patunay na sa lahat ng aspeto at hamon ng buhay, mas mahirap ang dinaranas ng mga solo parents kaysa sa mga two-parent households, tinapos na ng COVID epidemic - at ang dala niyang sigalot sa ekonomiya -- ang usapan. A proportionate number of the country's solo parents work in offices, factories, department stores, and BPOs, industries that have been adversely affected by the pandemic. Marami sa kanila ay mga arawan o di kaya ay mga online sellers na hindi makapagbenta ngayon dahil sa Enhanced Community Quarantine Measures at hindi man lang makapagdeliver ng kanilang mga paninda dahil sila ay nakasalalay sa public transportation dahil wala naman silang sariling mga kotse. Considering that there are approximately 3 million solo parent households, this means that there are almost 3 million families and households that are in danger of not being able to fulfill their daily needs. If their efforts to give their children a good and healthy life were difficult before, now it has become exponentially hard. To quote our solo parents themselves: "Ang dati nang hirap naming kalagayan upang makatawid sa araw-araw na paghahanap ng ikabubuhay ay makailang beses na pinalala ng COVID19."

Ang simpleng usapin ng pag-grocery para sa mga mag-asawa ay mas mahirap para sa mga single parents. Isipin na lang po natin, Mr. President, hindi hinihikayat na lumabas ang mga bata habang ECQ pero kanino sila pwedeng iwanan ng mga solo parents kapag kailangan nila mag-grocery o mamalengke? Yung dating pwedeng mapakisuyuan na lolo o lola ay hindi na malalapitan basta basta dahil sa takot na baka makaapekto tayo sa kalusugan nila.

The pandemic only shines a light on what solo parents - like myself - already intimately know: that raising a child as a solo parent is infinitely harder in every conceivable aspect than raising a child as a two-parent household.

In this light, Mr. President, I present to this chamber Committee Report 69 or SB 1411 which is the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2020. This committee report consolidates Senate Bills 86, 206, 238, 307, 951, 1014, and 164 filed by Senators Gordon, Go, Sotto, Zubiri, Revilla, Marcos, and I, respectively.

This bill provides a package of social protections for Solo Parents and their children, which includes livelihood development services, counselling services, and the provision of legal advice and assistance, among others. This bill also expands the classification of being a solo parent to include: (1) widowed parents and (2) spouses of OFWs in the low or semi-skilled worker category who had been away from the Philippines for an unbroken period of 12 months.

Under this proposed bill, solo parents are also qualified for a 7 day paid parental leave from their places of employment, whether public or private and regardless of their employment status. One of a solo parent's biggest concern, especially if they have young children, is childcare. SB 1411 calls for government agencies and offices with more than 300 employees and private companies with 200 or more employees to establish in-house day care centers to accommodate the children of their employees aged 5 and below.

Financial hardships are common among two-income families who have 2 parents working for the family. The challenge is even more difficult for a solo parent who is forced to rely on one stream of income. In light of this, the bill proposes a list of benefits for solo parents and their children. This includes a 20% discount on: (1) all medicines, vaccines, and other medical needs of the child; (2) their child's basic necessities; (3) the child's diapers until they're 3 years old; (4) the hospital bills, medical consultations, and laboratory fees of both the solo parent and their child; and (5) the child's tuition fees from kindergarten until college, both private and public.

The bill also provides additional support for solo parents who were abused, abandoned, or neglected by their spouses. As such, the bill grants the neglected spouse the right to retain a portion of their spouse's income, as agreed by both parents or by the court for the support of the child.

Our solo parents have been grinding and hustling and working very hard even before COVID. No amount of planning could have predicted that their jobs and earnings would be put into jeopardy because of this pandemic and there are risks that they have to think about that does not simply apply to families with two parents present. Bukod sa pag-aalala kung saan sila kukuha ng pangtustos sa pang-araw araw nilang pangangailangan, kailangan din nila isipin kung sino ang pwedeng takbuhan ng kanilang mga anak kung sakaling sila ay magkasakit o di kaya ay magpositibo sa COVID. Saan sila kukuha ng pangbili ng pagkain? Sino na ang mag-aalaga sa kanilang mga anak? Paano na sila?

In light of these issues and the gravity of the situation exacerbated by the pandemic, I urge for the prompt passage of the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act. Ika nga ng mga miyembro ng United Solo Parents of the Philippines, 'Hindi po naman naming nais na aasa na lang sa inyo panghabang buhay ngunit sadyang mahigpit naming kailangan ang inyong malasakit sa pagkakataong ito."

Maraming Salamat po.

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