Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda filed House Bill No. 668 that will give full-time housewives below the poverty threshold who do not have part-time or home-based work are the targets of the proposed monthly P2,000 cash subsidy.
“This Act shall apply to all housewives whose family’s economic status falls below the poverty threshold, who work as full-time housewives, and do not have part-time nor home-based work that is compensated,” said the Albay 2nd District Representative in his bill entitled, “Housewives Compensation Act”.
“Stay-at-home mothers refers to women who, regardless of civil status, perform the work at home of a full-time mother, and do not have part-time nor home-based work that is compensated for any income generating activity,” he added.
Once passed, the financial assistance to the housewives would be a subject to review every three [3] years, in consultation with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and that DSWD’s program of National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) will be utilized to identify which Filipino households will be qualified for the said monthly cash subsidy.
He also stated that DSWD will be the main implementing agency should the bill become a law.
Salceda argued that housewives play a “crucial role” in society as they tend to various tasks while they keep their family in good shape. “Sadly, these works are not considered productive. Our society considers stay-at-home mothers to be ‘doing nothing’ because they do not go out to work at a paid job like their husbands. Every work of a housewife can be considered ‘social reproductive work’, but most could not see this,” he said in the bill’s explanatory note.
However, the bill sets conditions housewives to be qualified:
-Child or children (0-12 months) is/are enrolled in public schools and have at least an 85% attendance
-Child or children manifest responsible behavior in preparation for eventual independence from the full-time services of the mothers
-The whole family attends a quarterly barangay assembly aimed at empowering the family to become responsible members of their locality, and reducing the time burden of unpaid care for women living in poverty.
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