Senate panel to resume public hearing on De Lima's pro-poor measures

The Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development resumes tomorrow the public hearing on two bills that seek to provide child daycare workers with security of tenure and implement strict rules for social welfare and development agencies, respectively.

Sens. Nancy Binay and Imee Marcos will preside over the Senate hearing on behalf of Committee Chairperson Senator Leila M. de Lima who is barred from conducting public hearing inside PNP-Custodial Center, Camp Crame, Quezon City.

"It is my ardent hope that these legislations that aim to benefit the vulnerable and underprivileged sectors of our society will be passed into law," said De Lima, a social justice and human rights champion.

Both Binay and Marcos sit as vice chairpersons of the Senate social justice committee. Tomorrow's Senate hearing is scheduled at 10am at the Senate Pecson Room, 2nd floor, Senate Bldg., Pasay City.

On agenda are De Lima's Senate Bill (SB) No. 184, also referred as the Magna Carta for Child Day Care Workers Act of 2019, and other similar measures filed by her colleagues, such as SB No. 120, SB No. 299 and SB No. 924.

The public hearing is also set to tackle the former justice secretary's SB No. 380, also referred to as the Social Welfare and Development Agencies Act (SWDAs).

SB No. 184, along with SB Nos. 120 and 299, and 924, aim to provide child daycare workers with security of tenure, proper compensation and benefits for their contribution to the development of Filipino children.

Based on the 2016 figures of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), there are around 49,568 daycare workers nationwide, catering services to 1.765 million three-year-old children and above.

While majority of the daycare workers have high educational attainment, the lady Senator from Bicol pointed out that these daycare workers receive measly salaries without the security of tenure and other benefits.

Of 33,304 employed daycare workers deployed nationwide, only 12.21 percent are permanent, 35.26 percent are contractual, 28.76 percent are casual and 23.45 percent are employed through a Memorandum of Agreement with salaries ranging from less than PhP1,000 a month to PhP15,000.

Meanwhile, SB No. 380 aims to institutionalize the accreditation and regulation of private individuals, agencies and organizations engaged in social welfare and development activities to protect the beneficiaries of SWDAs which include the poor and disadvantaged.

De Lima underscored the importance of such measure because SWDAs are prone to malpractice, abuse and even exploitation by private individuals, agencies and organizations engaged in providing social welfare and development services to the public.

Amid her continued unjust detention and political persecution under the vengeful Duterte regime, De Lima has remained active in filing legislative measures aimed at defending justice and human rights and promoting the welfare of the Filipino people.