DAVAO CITY, March 18 (PIA) — The Department of Labor and Employment in Region XI (DOLE-XI) has allayed fears of job loss among domestic workers with the passage of RA 10361 or the Kasambahay Law.
One of the provisions of RA 10361 is the setting of minimum wages for domestic workers pegged at workers at P2,500 for the National Capital Region; P2,000- for chartered cities and P1,500 for municipalities.
Other responsibilities for employers of domestic workers are the requirement of having employment contract, requirement of pay slips and entitlement to social benefits.
DOLE-XI Regional Director Joffrey Suyao said the department will be monitoring the effect of the Kasambahay Law among the employment situation of domestic workers adding that the law is aimed at protecting the welfare of the domestic workers or kasambahay.
Suyao said that the minimum wages is based on the prevailing salaries of domestic workers in the market.
He said the law will protect both the domestic workers and the employers as it also sets for the responsibilities for domestic workers, among these include the prohibition on privileged communication where communication and information pertaining to the employer or members of the household shall be treated as privileged and confidential, and shall not be publicly disclosed by the domestic worker during and after employment.
Other safeguards for employers include the right to require medical certificates, barangay and police clearance, National Bureau of Investigation clearance and duly authenticated birth certificate this to ensure that domestic workers are screened well before they are employed.
Suyao said that he expects the first year of the implementation of the Kasambahay Law will have its birthpains. A multisectoral consultation forum will be held this month in Davao City where commentaries and suggestions which can be used to formulate the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Kasambahay Law.
As for the implementation of the law, the monitoring will be done by the local government units thru the barangays where domestic workers are mandated to be registered. Suyao said they will be discussing with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on how to implement the monitoring of the law.
