[Philippines] Senate discusses protections for freelance workers

Plenary discussions on a new bill to protect freelance workers are soon to begin in the Senate. On September 8, Senator Joel Villanueva - chairperson of the Senate Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development - endorsed the passage of the proposed “Freelance Protection Act” (Senate Bill No. 1810). In his sponsorship speech, Senator Villanueva said it is high time to institutionalize measures that recognise and protect freelance workers especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the extended community quarantines.

“We have realized the variety of jobs that can be performed at home using the internet, like tutoring, encoding, blogging, graphic designing, web development, internet research, online fitness coaching, telemedicine, just to name a few,” the senator said. He reportedly told colleagues “The situation urges us to clearly define, regulate, and harness freelancing, which is a dynamic concept, partly because the kind of work that freelancers perform, and the services they provide continuously evolve.” Manilla Bulletin has further coverage of the bill and the senator’s comments.

Plenary discussions on a new bill to protect freelance workers are soon to begin in the Senate. On September 8, Senator Joel Villanueva - chairperson of the Senate Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development - endorsed the passage of the proposed “Freelance Protection Act” (Senate Bill No. 1810). In his sponsorship speech, Senator Villanueva said it is high time to institutionalize measures that recognise and protect freelance workers especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the extended community quarantines.

“We have realized the variety of jobs that can be performed at home using the internet, like tutoring, encoding, blogging, graphic designing, web development, internet research, online fitness coaching, telemedicine, just to name a few,” the senator said. He reportedly told colleagues “The situation urges us to clearly define, regulate, and harness freelancing, which is a dynamic concept, partly because the kind of work that freelancers perform, and the services they provide continuously evolve.” Manilla Bulletin has further coverage of the bill and the senator’s comments.