Senator Raffy on Thursday slammed three government pension agencies for their "deficient" compliance in providing benefits coverage for domestic workers.

Tulfo cited the 2019 joint survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Department of Labor and Employment that there are 1.4 million registered domestic workers with the Social Security System, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG.

However, only 6 percent of this figure, or 84,190 kasambahays were enrolled by their employers in SSS, while only 5 percent or 74,858 e in PhilHealth and 3.4 percent or 51,579 in Pag-IBIG.

"This is very low compliance," said Tulfo, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor.

"These agencies are not doing enough to ensure that employers in the country have registered and have been paying the SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG contributions of their kasambahays," he added.

Tulfo also expressed disappointment amid the failure of barangay officials to implement the registration system for domestic helpers.

"Knowing that some employers are too busy to enroll their house help for said coverage or deliberately avoid doing so to avoid payments," he said.

The "Domestic Workers Act" or "Batas Kasambahay," mandates every employer to register a house help under their employment in the barangay offices—where they are residing.

The law also orders Punong Barangas to be responsible for the Registry of Kasambahay within their respective jurisdiction.

"Why barangay officials managed to be very active on house-to-house campaigns during the elections period but were unable to go door-to-door to survey households with kasambahays and ensure implementation of Batas Kasambahay," Tulfo questioned.

Hence, he recommended the removal of "qualified theft punishment" for kasambahays.

"Employers are using this to pin down house helps seeking better treatment or complaining about work-related benefits," Tulfo said.

"In some cases, employers would get back at their kasambahays and avoid giving them proper treatment as mandated by the law by planting evidence pointing to a crime they did not commit, like stealing, employers would later report it to the police to send innocent and voiceless kasambahays to jail," he added.