Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday expressed her concern on the need to prioritize the passage of different gender equality and health bills this year.
In a press statement, Hontiveros as the Senate Committee chairperson for women and health sees longer maternity leave for women in 2017 as the extended maternity leave would provide mothers with ample transition time to regain health and overall wellness.
It can be recalled that Hontiveros filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 215 or the Extended Maternity Leave Act that seeks to extend the maternity leaves of working women from the current 60 days to 120 days and 150 days for single mothers.
President Duterte supported the longer maternity leave, saying that mothers should have a longer rest period to provide them more time to breastfeed their babies.
“I agree that you need a longer period of rest for maternity leave – I even want it to last for a year,” Duterte said.
Hontiveros added in her press statement that her committee is now preparing the committee report on the different versions of the bill.
Hontiveros also promised to push the Anti-Discrimination Bill, also known as Senate Bill No. 935 that penalizes discrimination against sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in workplaces and schools, and would offer equal protection to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
The bill made its way to the plenary and is ready for second reading and that the senator’s proposed measure is the first anti-discrimination bill that reached the Senate plenary.
Hontiveros is also seeking to stop the practice of hospitals asking for advance payment before admitting patients in an emergency situation.
The senator filed Senate Bill No. 216, known as the Amendments to the Anti-Hospital Deposit Act that seeks to impose heavier penalties on hospitals that continues to violate the law while providing tax incentives to those that will admit indigent or needy patients in case of emergency.
Hontiveros said the Anti-hospital deposit law is part of her priority legislative measures this new year because it is unallowable that the lives and health well-being of the people to be sacrificed longer for profit’s sake.
“We will conduct another hearing on this issue, submit the bill to the technical working group and release a committee report as soon as possible,” Hontiveros mentioned.
