Around 200 house helpers enjoyed a day of bonding and fun during the celebration of the 4^th Kasabahay Day last January 29, 2017 at San Pedro College Gym.

The celebration was headed by the Department of Labor and Employment XI together with Tulong Alay sa Kaunlaran ng Kasambahay (TASK Kasambahay) convergence members which include: Department of Education , Social Security System Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Home Development Mutual Fund, Philippine Information Agency, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Liga ng mga Barangay Davao City and San Pedro College.

During the open program, Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte in a message read by her representative, thanked the Department and the convergence members for their continued effort in making the yearly event possible.

“To our helpers, this is your day. Gimugna kining programa alang kaninyo,mao nang karon, gina-awhag nako mo nga mag relax, magpahuway,ug maglingaw-lingaw. Kabalo minga nanginabuhi mo alangsa inyong mga pamilya, ug nagapasalamat mi kaytungod sa inyong panginabuhi,nakatabang mo’g maayosa among pamilya. Ug tungod ani, kamo parte na pud sa among pamilya (This program was made for you, so now, I encourage you to relax, rest, and have fun. We know that you are working for your families and we thank you because of your work, you have truly helped our family. And because of this, you are also a part of our families),” Duterte’s message directed to the house helpers.

Other than the different fun games and exciting prizes given away, the participants also shared their talents in The Voice of Kasambahay and Kasambahay Got Talent contest.

Those who joined the Kasambahay Day are enrolled in the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Alternative Learning System.

The annual Kasambahay Day was first slated in 2014 a year after the implementation of the Republic Act 10361 or the Kasambahay Law. The enactment of the law recognizes domestic workers as similar to those in the formal sector.

It also affirms the need to protect the rights of domestic workers against abuse, harassment, violence, economic exploitation and performance of work that is hazardous to their physical and mental health and promote their rights at work including, but not limited to, abolition of child labor, elimination of all forms of forced labor, discrimination in employment and occupation, and trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

 

Kriztja Marae G. Labrador/LCO-DOLEXI