Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman has welcomed the recent passage on third and final reading of her pet measure, House Bill (HB) No. 227, also known as the proposed Caregivers Welfare Act.

“I thank my fellow legislators for the swift passage of this measure and ensuring the strong accountability and implementation efforts to turn the strategy into action,” Roman, chairperson of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality said in a statement.

The bill gained 271 affirmative votes from the House members during nominal voting en route to its third reading passage last Nov. 15.

The approved measure aims to “recognize the role of caregivers in national development and to institute policies in the practice of the profession with the end in view of developing competent caregivers whose standards of professional service shall be excellent and globally competitive".

According to Roman, professional and responsive caregiving is very vital to medically and physically challenged individuals.

The country’s aging population, the increase in the number of children born with medical issues, and prevalent illnesses are among the reasons why the demand for caregiving service continues to rise in the Philippines, she added.

“Policies must be enacted to protect the welfare and well-being of caregivers, as well as to maintain excellent and globally competitive standards for the caregiver professional service,” Roman said.

The legislator from Bataan said countries such as the United States (US), Canada and those in the Middle East and Europe and even in Asian countries like Japan and Korea prefer Filipino caregivers because of their unconditional and genuine care for their clients.

She further stated that policies in the practice of the caregiving profession must be institutionalized to protect the rights of caregivers and to promote their welfare towards a decent employment.

“Caregivers must also be protected against abuse, harassment, violence and economic exploitation,” Roman said.