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Philippines
Friday, March 29, 2024

Let them in

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Good day as any other: to remind employers both in the public and private sectors to consider deftly qualified senior citizens and persons with disability that these prospective employees are not yet off the employment zone.

Let them in

These seniors and PWDs, their number rising, are part of Philippine society. The senior citizens alone would reach the figure of 8.2 percent in 2019—population 106 million people—from around 7.5 percent in 2015 while the country’s workforce, by official figures, is expected to reach as much as 70 million in 2019.

Six years ago—the latest available official figures for this category—about 16 per thousand of the country’s population had disability. Of the 92.1 million household population, 1.57 percent had disability, based on the 2010 Census of Population and Housing.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, among the 17 regions, Region IV-A had the highest number of PWD at 193,000, followed by the National Capital Region with 167,000; the Cordillera Administrative Region, on the other hand, had the lowest number of PWD at 26,000.

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We also add our voice to what Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III reiterated nearly a year back that employees with disability —those already employed—are entitled to all rights and benefits granted under the Labor Code, underlining that workers with disabilities are mandatorily covered under the Social Security System, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG, whenever applicable.

But we go farther by strongly suggesting that those PWDs, who are under any measure qualified to contribute to enriching the performance and stature of a prospective employer, be taken in.

We also raise the reminder to prospective employers of senior citizens, those who have the capacity and desire to work, or be re-employed, shall, under the Republic Act 9257, be provided information and matching services to enable them to be productive members of society.

And we reiterate what the law says, that terms of employments shall conform with the provisions of the Labor Code, as amended, and other laws, rules and regulations.

Private companies that will employ senior citizens shall be entitled to an additional deduction from their gross income, equivalent to 15 percent of the total amount paid as salaries and wages to senior citizens, subject to the provision of the National Internal Revenue Code.

Let the qualified come marching in.

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