Camarines Sur-based lawmakers are prodding Congress to prioritize a proposed law providing job protection and incentives to so-called freelance or "gig industry" workers once the second regular session opens on July 27.

Reps. Migz Villafuerte and Luigi Villafuerte of the province's 5th district and 2nd district, respectively, are pushing for this following the recent adoption by the United Nations (UN)’s International Labour Organization (ILO) of the first-ever global agreement for the benefit of those working through digital platforms in the gig economy.

The solon-siblings were referring to the Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention, which was approved at the end of the 114th International Labour Conference on June 1-12 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The proposed law the Villafuertes are eyeing--House Bill (HB) No. 1988--centers on a work protection and incentive package for the millions of Filipino millennials and Gen Z-ers who are gig workers.

“We are hoping that both the House and the Senate would be on the same page on considering this proposed package in full support of the newly approved and first-ever convention for the benefit of the world’s freelance or gig workers,” they said.

The World Bank (WB) estimates that there are 400 million online gig workers across the globe.

July 27--or the opening of the second regular session of the current 20th Congress--coincides with President Marcos' fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Rep. Migz, chairman of the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology (ICT), said the congressional approval of the proposed labor package is timely.

"An ever increasing number of forty-something and younger Filipinos are now doing freelance work, especially on online platforms, for their principal or extra incomes  in the gig economy, in lieu of jobs in the traditional workplace,” he reckoned. 

Rep. Luigi, a deputy majority leader, said, “More and more Filipinos are being drawn to popular freelance work such as virtual assistance, delivery of creative services and digital marketing, apparently because of the unconventional nature of these jobs or side gigs that are project-based, primarily focused on output compliance, and free from the 8 o’clock-5 o’clock, Monday-to-Friday work set-up.”

Citing the 2020 Global Gig Economy Index by global online payment account Payoneer, the Villafuertes said the Philippines is No. 1 on the list of fastest-growing freelancing countries with a revenue growth of over 200 percent, and No. 3—after the United States (US) and India—when it comes to market size for freelance workers.

However, in the absence of job contracts forged with their employers, they lamented that Filipino freelance workers are at risk with concerns about inadequate legal and labor protection, social security and taxation. 

Hence, their push for the congressional approval of HB No. 1988, which aims to safeguard freelancers who are highly vulnerable to unfair labor practices by errant employers.

The Villafuertes authored the measure with fellow Camarines Sur 1st district Rep. Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon.

These lawmakers had re-filed this measure following the release by business consulting firm Deloitte Philippines of a global survey in 2023 showing that 71 percent of Filipino millennials and 65 percent of Gen Z-ers have acquired side gigs or extra full-time jobs, from the previous year’s 61 percent and 64 percent, respectively, for additional sources of income. 

Such figures were higher than the global averages of 37 percent for millennials and 46 percent for Gen Z-ers.

Rep. Migz said, “The ideal workplace scenario of secured job contracts for Filipino freelancers can only happen if and when the 20th Congress writes new legislation requiring employers to seal written contracts with their gig workers, and provide them with job-related benefits akin to those accorded employees with regular jobs in traditional or conventional workplaces.”

For his part, Rep. Luigi said that, although the gig industry is on a high-growth path, “Its very non-conventional setup has taken away some of the positives that traditional employment offers, such as the right to organize in the workplace and their right to economic benefits due workers under our  labor laws.”