The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) rolled out a two-week service caravan for housekeepers, or “kasambahay” (K) in Tagalog, at the national and regional levels as part of its annual celebration of the “Araw ng mga Kasambahay” (Domestic Workers Day) on Thursday, Jan. 18.
In a news release, the DOLE said the program aims to bring various government services closer to domestic employees. At the same time, it hopes to educate them and their employers under Republic Act No. 10361 or the Domestic Workers Act, also known as “Batas Kasambahay.”
The activities are part of the agency’s commitment to protect the rights and wellbeing of housekeepers, according to DOLE Workers’ Welfare and Protection Cluster undersecretary Benjo Santos Benavidez. “We mobilized all the services of the government,” he said.
Citing a 2019 survey, Benavidez said only around a million of the 1.4 million domestic workers “are without arrangement,” with only three- to four-percent having written contracts, and around 60 percent aware of the “Batas Kasambahay.”
He mentioned the need to expand the coverage of social security benefits, as well as the registration of domestic workers in their barangays, as required by the law to protect them further. DOLE also underscored the importance of ensuring their safety in the workplace.
DOLE through its regional offices is holding the service caravan from Jan. 18 to 31, 2024 in partnership with other government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Social Security System, PhilHealth, PagIBIG Fund, and the Philippine National Police.
All services and skills training opportunities are offered free of charge to participating domestic workers