By Liza Soriano
MANILA — Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a bill in the Upper Chamber that would provide the necessary protection for freelance workers, saying that freelancing has become a significant career.
Gatchalian filed Senate Bill No. 945 or the Freelancers Protection Act to provide “multiple social protections to the ever-growing sector of freelance workers in the country given the demands of the global economy and the consequences of this global pandemic, the foremost of which is providing an avenue to formalize the sector.”
“Freelancing has become a significant career choice, especially among our young workers even before the COVID-19 pandemic. With the expected rise of freelance workers in years to come, we need to ensure that social protection schemes are suitable and responsive to the needs of freelance workers,” the lawmaker said.
“Formalization can lead to better protection and provision of social services such as credit opportunities and training, among others, for our ‘new normal’ workforce,” Gatchalian emphasized.
According to data from the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines (CECP), around 1.5 million Filipinos are now engaged in the gig economy as of June 2021.
“Inaasahan natin na lalo pang lalawak ang saklaw ng freelancing sa mga dadating na taon at kaakibat nito ang paglago ng kanilang kontribusyon sa ekonomiya ng bansa kaya’t dapat mabigyan ng karampatang proteksyon ang ating mga freelance workers,” Gatchalian said.
(Amado Inigo/MTVN)
