A BILL that provides additional benefits to solo parents, including additional work leave, scholarship and cash subsidy, has lapsed into a law without the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Republic Act (RA) 11861, which amends RA 8972 titled “An Act Providing for Benefits and Privileges to Solo Parents and Their Children, Appropriating Funds Therefor and For Other Purposes,” lapsed into a law on June 4.
Under the new law, solo parents now include spouses or any family member of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are in the low/semi-skilled category and are away from the Philippines for an unbroken period of 12 months.
Grandparents and family members or qualified guardians who bear sole responsibility over the child are also now considered solo parents.
The law mandates that solo parents are entitled to a forfeitable and noncumulative parental leave not more than seven days on top of the leave privilege under existing laws, provided that he or she rendered service of at least six months.
Solo parents and one of his or her children 22 years old and below are also entitled to scholarship grants by the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, or Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is also required to provide P1,000 monthly cash subsidy to a solo parent who earns minimum or less than the minimum wage, provided that he or she is not a beneficiary of any other cash assistance program, except for senior citizens. The funding will be shouldered by their respective local government units.
The DSWD secretary was also directed, in coordination with other agencies, to develop a “comprehensive package” of social protection services for solo parents and their families that includes livelihood opportunities, legal advice and assistance, counseling services, parent effectiveness services, and stress debriefing, among others, regardless of financial status.
The agency, together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, is also required to establish and maintain a “centralized database” of solo parents who have been issued Solo Parent Identification Cards or booklets.
Solo parents with annual earnings of not more than P250,000 should also be given 10 percent discount and value-added tax exemption on baby’s basic needs such as milk, food, vitamins and medicines, diapers and medical supplies within the first six years of his or her child.
The law also requires work discrimination protection, low-cost housing prioritization, as well as automatic health insurance program under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation for a solo parent, with premium contributions to be paid by the national government.
The third week and third Saturday of April of every year were declared as Solo Parents Week and National Solo Parents Day, respectively.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, a solo parent herself who strongly pushed for the law, said she was elated with its passage, which she considers a victory to millions of solo parents in the country.
“Sa mga kapwa ko solo parents, tagumpay natin ito,” she said.
“I’m intimately familiar with the feeling of not being sure how to pay for my children’s tuition, not knowing who can accompany me if one of them gets sick,” Hontiveros added. (SunStar Philippines)