Why a Magna Carta for Child Development Workers is Being Pushed
Here are some details you need to know about the Magna Carta for Children Development Workers being pushed in Congress.
Last May, members of the House of Representatives approved consolidating different bills to push for a Magna Carta for Child Development Workers. The Inquirer reported that none of the lawmakers objected to consolidating 17 house bills. These will be consolidated to help child development workers or daycare center workers.
Similar Senate bills have also been filed for a Magna Carta. In February, Senator Imee Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development hopes to implement a three to five-year plan of the proposed Magna Carta once passed into law.
Why a need for a Magna Carta for Child Development Workers?
The Magna Carta for Child Development Workers has been lobbied by advocates since the 10th Congress. In an article from the Philippine News Agency last February, Federation of Day Care Workers National President Pearl Reyes told the committee that daycare workers only receive less than PHP 1,000. Especially in small barangays.
“Ang nagbibigay pag-asa po talaga ngayon ay napag-uusapan po nang madalas at talagang we believe na maaaring marinig na ngayon ang sigaw at ang grievances ng ating mga day care workers,” Reyes said.
During her speech last May, BHW party-list Rep. Angelica Natasha Co cited numbers from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regarding the status of CDW workers in the country.
“For the year 2021, DSWD recorded a total of 79,451 CDWs or DCWs who are occupying tenured and untenured positions without standard wages and benefits. With the said number, 17,000 are occupying casual positions. 23,000 are holding contractual positions, 5,000 are job orders, and 15,000 are serving under a memorandum of agreement,” Co said.
Only 8,739 workers were given permanent positions she said. Data for July 2022 on the other hand was that there were 86,000 CDW. With 14,000 of them getting less than PHP 1,000 while 1,054 are getting PHP 1,000 and above.
Time to give what is due
If the Magna Carta for Child Development Workers is enacted, the workers get to have the following benefits:
- Bill of Rights
- Higher Wages
- PhilHealth membership
- Social benefits
- Cost of living allowance
- Overtime pay
- Retirement benefits
If the Magna Carta passes, it will ensure the future of many Filipino kids ages 0 to 4. At the same time, child development workers will be protected.
“Child development workers play a vital role in the promotion of the rights of the children to survival, development, and protection. They mainly assist in the provision of a full range of health, nutrition, early education, and social services development programs that provide for the basic holistic needs of children aged 0 to 4 years,” Co said.
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