MANILA, Philippines, May 31 ------ The House of Representatives approved a bill expanding the coverage of the compulsory insurance for overseas Filipino workers.
Voting 180-6-0, The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 10802 which expands the coverage of the compulsory insurance for agency-hired OFWs to include rehires, direct-hires and government-hires. A copy of the bill and its congressional fact sheet published on the congressional website says it seeks to extend the protection of the law on compulsory insurance on a wider range of overseas Filipino workers (OFW). The same fact sheet says it includes "temporary partial disablement" in the list of benefits to be enjoyed by the OFWs.
The proposal also mandates the Insurance Commission, Department of Labor and Employment, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the National Labor Relations to study the inclusion in the repatriation benefit causes due to an epidemic, pandemic, war, civil unrest, disasters and calamities, whether natural or man-made. Finally, the fact sheet says the bill provides for the process of settling money claims of rehires, direct-hires and government-hires through the administrative proceeding of single-entry approach, which was institutionalized under RA 10396 (Strengthening Conciliation-Mediation as a Voluntary Mode of Dispute Settlement for All Labor Cases). Congress has until June 3, which is when it adjourns sine die, to pass it into law.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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