Maternity cash benefit for non-SSS members sought
A neophyte solon has proposed the grant of maternity cash benefits to working mothers in the informal economy in the amount equivalent to 22 times the prevailing minimum wage rate in the region where they live.
Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan said the maternity cash grant provided under House Bill 10070 is intended to benefit women workers who are not members of the Social Security System (SSS), whether on a regular or voluntary basis.
These include freelancers, the self-employed, home-based workers, those working under the ‘no-work, no-pay’ arrangement, and other unrecognized or unregulated employment activities.
“Working in the informal sector leaves women without any form of social benefits. They have to continue to work while nurturing themselves back to health and providing for their newborn infant and their family because they are deprived of the most fundamental social protection—maternity benefits,” Yamsuan said.
“The eligibility for maternity leave and benefits under our laws is limited to those who are SSS members, thus excluding a considerable number of Filipino women workers who are non-members.
This measure aims to address this gap,” he added.
Based on independent estimates, over 6.6 million women workers in the informal economy stand to benefit from the measure, which seeks to amend certain provisions of Republic Act 11210 or the “Expanded Maternity Leave Law.”
Under the bill, women workers who are neither voluntary or regular SSS members “shall receive, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) a one-time direct maternity cash benefit per delivery equivalent to the prevailing minimum wage rate in their region of residence multiplied by 22 days.”
