Two party-list congressmen on Friday expressed optimism that House Bill 8817 or the Freelance Workers Protection Act, which aims to provide protection to freelancers, will soon get enacted.
House Deputy Speaker Eddie Villanueva and fellow Cibac nominee, Rep. Domingo Rivera of the Citizens Battle Against Corruption party-list group, said the final reading approval of the measure affirms the House leadership’s commitment to advance the rights and welfare of freelancers, to ensure their right to humane working conditions, and to receive a proper living wage.
The chamber approved the bill by a 195-0 vote with no abstentions.
“Freelancing gives Filipinos more choices in terms of the number of projects they want to engage in (both locally and internationally). However, their work environment and terms of employment somehow leaves freelancers without a choice in some crucial aspects,” Villanueva, House Deputy Speaker for Good Governance and Moral Uprightness, said.
“The approval of this bill is a development and considered to be a great milestone for the industry because it will guarantee the non-negotiable aspects of business transactions between an employer and a freelancer such as the existence of contract, standard fees, schedule of payments, and other benefits a regular job affords,” he added.
Under the measure, which was principally authored by lawmakers of CIBAC Party-List, any hiring party obtaining the services of a freelance worker shall execute a written contract with such freelancer before said services are rendered.
The bill also provides that freelance workers who are required to be physically present in the workplace and those required to do field assignments shall be paid, if warranted, a night shift differential of not less than 10 percent of one’s regular compensation for each hour of work performed.
Meanwhile, the hazard payment to be granted to freelancers shall be equivalent to at least 25 percent of the total payment for the period of work deployment.
“There are at least 1.5 million Filipino freelance workers, making up roughly 2 percent of the population, who will benefit from this bill as it addresses the challenges that come with this nature of employment,” Rivera for his part said.
Cibac believes the approval of such bill is “suitable and timely” as “the government currently lacks protection and support for freelance workers, a sector that has grown significantly, and was expected to grow even more during this pandemic brought by COVID-19.”
“No one could predict until when this COVID-19 crisis lasts. And with the pandemic forcing freelance workers particularly in many field assignments and various live events and entertainment industries to exit the stage, the passage of this bill serves a big relief to them. It would definitely help them in terms of assurance while sustaining the needs of their families,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
