Press Release
January 24, 2022

SPONSORSHIP SPEECH OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON THE BICAMERAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT ON THE DISAGREEING PROVISIONS OF SENATE BILL NO. 1933 AND HOUSE BILL NO. 8998
(EXPANDED SOLO PARENTS WELFARE ACT)
January 24, 2022

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues.

I have the distinct honor and privilege to submit to this August Chamber the Bicameral Conference Committee report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill No. 1411 and House Bill No. 8097, or the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act.

Kaming mga solo parents ay labis labis na nagpapasalamat sa Kongresong ito na itinawid ang mahalagang panukalang batas na ito na magbibigay ng karagdagang tulong sa aming mga solo nanay at solo tatay na mag-isang nagtataguyod ng aming mga anak.

Sa mga co-author ko na sina Senator Richard Gordon, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, Senator Bong Revilla, Senator Imee Marcos, Maraming Salamat. To Senator Pia, I am grateful to you for your important amendments. Kay Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri at Senate President Tito Sotto, who are also authors of this bill, and who shepherded the passage of the bill to passage, my deepest appreciation.

Mr. President, I would like to move that the entire joint explanatory statement of the Bicameral Conference Committee be spread into the records. To give everyone a snapshot of the agreements between the two chambers, the following are the salient points of this legislative measure:

  • The expansion of the definition of solo parents to include spouses of low-skill overseas Filipino workers away from the country for an uninterrupted period of time

  • The decrease in the number of months of employment before availment of the Solo Parent leave

  • The increase in the age ceiling of the child of the solo parent for availment of benefits, to align this measure with the K-12 educational system

  • The provision of a 1000 pesos ayuda for minimum wage earning solo parents, which I am happy to note the House of Representatives magnanimously accepted in exchange for the original hefty menu of discounts that both houses wanted to push but was objected to by the DOF;

  • Other benefits such as educational scholarships for eligible children of eligible solo parents, a 10% discount on specific medicines for low-income solo parents with children 6 years and below, prioritization in low-cost housing, and Philhealth coverage.

  • We also increased the safeguards of the law against fraud and leakage to ensure that only those who are really solo parents will enjoy the benefits of the law.

Ito po ay lifeline na atin pong iniitsa sa mga solo parents. And during this time of pandemic and economic difficulty, this lifeline could not be more urgent. Maraming Salamat po.

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