Filipino caregivers are set to gain better access to decent employment and welfare protection following the issuance of the Caregivers’ Welfare Act.

Salient features of the law and its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) include the recognition and rights of the caregiver towards decent employment and fair compensation; safeguards for a secure and healthy workplace; and provision of access to social protection benefits such as Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Pag-IBIG, and Employees’ Compensation and State Insurance Fund.

Other key features of the IRR include the establishment of a system for continuous skills upgrading and reskilling of caregivers and a registry of Filipino caregivers generated and maintained by the labor department through the government’s job portal, PhilJobNet.

The newly-signed implementing rules cover all caregivers who are employed and working within the country, in live-in or live-out arrangements in private homes, nursing or care facilities, or other residential settings.

Also covered are caregivers directly hired by the employer or placed through the Public Employment Service Offices or licensed Private Employment Agencies.

In terms of recruitment and deployment of Filipino caregivers for overseas employment, the Department of Migrant Workers, in coordination with concerned agencies, shall issue separate rules and regulations to ensure their protection including their reintegration.

Department Order No. 254 was formulated by the Department of Labor and Employment in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and other concerned agencies, in consultation with private stakeholders.