House OKs bill giving OFWs equal protection on money claims | ABS-CBN News

See - House OKs bill giving OFWs equal protection on money claims | ABS-CBN News


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MANILA - The House of Representatives said Tuesday that it has approved on third and final reading a bill granting overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) the right to equal protection on money claims.

House Bill 5988, authored by Rep. Ibarra M. Gutierrez III and former Rep. Walden F. Bello of Akbayan Party-list, seeks to amend Republic Act 8042, otherwise known as the “Migrant Workers and Filipino Migrants Act of 1995, as amended by RA 10022.”

In the proposed amendment, the clause "or for three months for every year of the unexpired term whichever is less" found on the fifth paragraph of Section 10 of RA 8042 was deleted. This clause refers to money claims made against the unexpired term of the migrant worker's contract.

The proposed law intends to give OFWs "full reimbursement of [their] placement fee and deduction made with interest at 12 percent, per annum, plus his salaries for the unexpired portion of his employment contract."

The Supreme Court, in 2009, already declared the clause "or for three months for every year of the unexpired term whichever is less" unconstitutional for violating equal protection afforded by the Constitution.
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