The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has welcomed the approval of the consolidated version of the House Bill No. 8400 (HB 8400), Act Institutionalizing and Expanding the National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) to a Jobs Creation Plan, and the Senate Bill No. 2035 (SB 2035), Act Establishing the National Employment Master Plan, which will jointly be called "Trabaho Para Sa Bayan Act."
The consolidated bill has been transmitted to the Office of the President, and the CHR is hopeful for its swift approval since it will aid in economic recovery and help vulnerable families and individuals rise above the inflation.
"Easing the challenges in the labor market through concrete measures will allow many disadvantaged Filipinos to make a decent and adequate living for themselves and their families," the CHR said.
"The consolidated bill is geared towards employment generation and job quality improvement in order to address the recovery of the labor market after the Covid-19 pandemic," it also said in a statement.
The CHR said the consolidated bill will help address unemployment, underemployment, youth unemployment, rising precarity and informality of working arrangements, and the reintegration of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), among other things
"This will focus on improving the employability and competitiveness of workers, promoting the self-reliance of MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), and incentivizing the private sector within a three- to ten-year development timeline," it said.
It also commended the authors of HB 8400 -- Reps. Gus Tambunting, Eduardo "Bro. Eddie" Villanueva, Juan Fidel Felipe, Zaldy Co, Christopherson Yap, Jonathan Keith Flores, Gerville Luistro, Raoul Danniel Manuel, Janice Salimbangon, and Manuel Jose Dalipe, among others.
At the same time, it lauded Sen. Joel Villanueva for sponsoring SB 2035 with co-authors Sens. Imee Marcos, Win Gatchalian, Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, Christopher Lawrence T. Go, Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., and Loren B. Legarda.
"This strongly demonstrates the commitment of the legislative branch to fulfill its citizens’ right to work, as well as to create an enabling environment for progressive and productive employment opportunities," the CHR said.
With the "Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act," the CHR said that local government units (LGUs) will be more involved in formulating programs and projects that focus on producing more employment opportunities in each locality through the Jobs Creation Plan.
Also, it said the proposed legislation will advance every Filipino’s right to choose and accept work freely.