Solo parents who will be displaced from their jobs will get double insurance benefits if a congressman’s proposed measure becomes a law.

House Bill No. 2229 will grant laid-off solo parents an involuntary separation payment equal to 100 percent of their average monthly salary credit (AMSC) for two months, according to its author, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo.

At present, the subsidy is equal to 50 percent of the monthly salary for a maximum of two months.

“Single parents, being the only breadwinner in the household, are exceptionally vulnerable to economic hardship. They deserve greater financial support if they lose their jobs for reasons unrelated to their performance as employees,” Rillo said in a statement.

Once his bill is enacted, the lawmaker noted a solo parent with an AMSC of P20,000 will receive an unemployment insurance benefit of P40,000.

The weakening economy caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted to widespread job losses among Filipino workers.

“We have to assure solo parents ample financial protection when they get thrown out of work. This way, while they are looking for new employment, their families will have the means to make ends meet,” Rillo said.

The bill also sought to amend the Social Security System (SSS) charter, or Republic Act No. 11199.

At present, the subsidy is equal to 50 percent of the monthly salary for a maximum of two months for laid off and qualified employees covered by the SSS, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, the SSS reportedly paid over P1.71 billion in unemployment insurance benefits to 135,814 displaced members.

The statement from Rillo’s office cited solo parents now comprise over 13 percent of the 109 million national population.

It also added there are up to 15 million solo parents in the country, with 95 percent of them women, based on World Health Organization (WHO)-funded study by the University of the Philippines’ (UP) National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health (DOH).