Lawmaker pushes for unemployment insurance in the Philippines

A national unemployment insurance programme that would provide aid to workers during periods of unemployment has been filed in the Philippines under House Bill No. 490 by Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo.

She proposed the creation of a National Unemployment Insurance Programme (NUIP), to be administered by a Philippine Job Insurance Corp, reports Inquirer.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that workers are vulnerable to substantial reductions in income and the risk of falling into poverty. Moreover, the COVID-19 experience has shown that government dole-out programmes are an inefficient way to provide protection, especially if on a massive scale,” read the bill’s explanatory note.

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The NUIP seeks to protect the economy and the workers who have been laid off by providing assistance during periods of unemployment. This is to “avoid major income loss and ensure that consumption levels are not substantially reduced”, it said.

Under the bill, members of the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System will be automatically covered by the programme.