Gatchalian seeks protection for freelance workers

CEBU, Philippines —  As the sector is expected to sustain growth moving forward, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing a measure that would provide social protection for freelance workers in the country.

Gatchalian filed Senate Bill No. 945 or the Freelancers Protection Act that seeks to provide multiple social protections to the ever-growing sector of freelance workers in the country given the demands of the global economy and the consequences of this global pandemic, the foremost of which is providing an avenue to formalize the sector.

“Freelancing has become a significant career choice, especially among our young workers even before the COVID-19 pandemic. With the expected rise of freelance workers in years to come, we need to ensure that social protection schemes are suitable and responsive to the needs of freelance workers,” Gatchalian said.

“Formalization can lead to better protection and provision of social services such as credit opportunities and training, among others, for our ‘new normal’ workforce,” Gatchalian said.

As of June 2021, data from the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines (CECP) showed that around 1.5 million Filipinos were contributing to the gig economy. Also, a study conducted by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the World Intellectual Property Organization showed that in 2021, the creative or copy-right-based industries’ contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was P661.23 billion or 7.3 percent of the domestic economy.

If enacted into law, the proposed measure is expected to afford even treatment of employment to freelance workers, improve their working conditions, and simplify their tax registrations, among others.

"We expect that the scope of freelancing will expand even more in the coming years and this will lead to the growth of their contribution to the country's economy, so our freelance workers should be given adequate protection," Gatchalian said. — Philippine Star News Service, GMR (FREEMAN)