Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

DATE _May 5, 2023 a

TIME 2:28pm *
Rai by

NINETEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session
House Bill No. 7940

Introduced by Representatives HON. JOCELYN P. TULFO, EDVIC
YAP and RALPH WENDEL P. TULFO

Through this proposed measure we seek to grant benefits and privileges to our Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFW) who we consider today as our modern-day heroes.

According to the latest Overseas Filipinos’ Cash Remittances Statistics by the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas, personal remittances from Filipinos abroad increased by 3.6% to a record
high of $36 billion in 2022 from its $34 billion recorded remittances in 2021.

Notwithstanding their invaluable contributions to the country’s economic growth and
the recognition of being the modem-day heroes, a vast majority of our OFWs who return to the
country still struggle with the continuing issues of the increasing rate of unemployment, costs
of living, lack of capitalization for small business enterprises, and affordable health care.

The perennial problem in OF W reintegration became more apparent when more or less
1.2 million OFWs were repatriated during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the
International Organization for Migration of the United Nations, 82.5% of the repatriated OF Ws
encountered or experienced challenges in finding a job or income-generating activity upon their
retum to the country."

We strongly believe that our repatriated OFWs deserve the government's support and
acknowledgment for the magnitude of their sacrifices and contributions to our country. We,
therefore seek to grant certain privileges and benefits to indigent OFWs such as discounts in
burial services, purchase of medicines, medical services, and puffic utilities fo aid them upon
their return to the country.

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In vey fogegoing, t Jediate-approval of this bill ig’earngstly sought.
HON. JOCELY@)P. ULF HON Epvic YAP
ACT-CIS Partsfist ACT Partylist
HON. RALPHAVENDEL P. TULFO
Representative, Lone District of Benguet Representative, 2 District of Quezon City

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

NINETEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

House Bill No. 7940

Introduced by Representatives HON. JOCELYN P. TULFO, EDVIC YAP,
ERIC GO YAP and RALPH WENDEL P. TULFO

AN ACT GRANTING BENEFITS AND PRIVILEGES TO INDIGENT OVERSEAS,
FILIPINO WORKERS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title.
Workers (OF Ws) Discounts Act.

This Act shall be known as the “/ndigent Overseas Filipino

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — The Constitution affirms that labor is the primary social
economic force and mandates the State to protect the rights of the workers and promote their
welfare.

Recognizing the significant contributions of our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to our
country’s national economy, the State shall adopt measures to protect and grant benefits to our
modern-day heroes who return to the country after their overseas employment and assist them
as they continue to contribute to nation-building.

SEC. 3, Definition of Terms.

a. Overseas Filipino Worker ~ shall mean any resident citizen of the Philippines previously
employed overseas and has been certified by the Department of Migrant Workers or the
Philippine Overseas Employment Agency for previous overseas employment purposes who
has rendered employment services overseas for at least one (I) year including but not
limited to seafarers, entertainers, domestic helpers, and professionals, regardless of their
current employment status.

b. Lodging establishment ~ refers to a building, edifice, structure, apartment or house
including tourist inn, apartelle, motorist hotel, and pension house engaged in catering,
leasing or providing facilities to transients, tourists or travelers;

©. Medical Services - refer to hospital services, professional services of physicians and other
health care professionals and diagnostics and laboratory tests that the necessary for the
diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury;

4. Dental services ~ refer to oral examination, cleaning, permanent and temporary filling,
extractions and gum treatments, restoration, replacement or repositioning of teeth, or


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alteration of the alveolar or periodontium process of the maxilla and the mandible that are
necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury;

€. Indigent OFW - refers to any OFW who is without pension or permanent source of income,
compensation or financial assistance from his/her relatives to support his/her basic needs,
as determined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in
consultation with the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board

SEC. 4. Privileges and Discounts granted to OF Ws and Former OFWs. ~ Any qualified
indigent OFW as determined by the Department of Migrant Workers and the Department of
Social Welfare and Development shall be entitled to the following:

a) The grant of twenty percent (20%) discount and exemption from the value-added tax
(VAT), if applicable, on the sale of the following goods and services from all
establishments, for the exclusive use and enjoyment or availment of the OFW:

(i) On the purchase of medicines, and such other essential medical supplies,
accessories and equipment to be determined by the Department of Health
(DOH); Provided, that the DOH shall administer free vaccination against the
influenza virus and pneumococeal disease for indigent OFW patients.

The DOH shall establish guidelines and mechanism of compulsory rebates in
the sharing of burden of discounts among retailers, manufacturers and
distributors, taking into consideration their respective margins;

(ii) Onthe professional fees of attending physician’ in all private hospitals, medical
facilities, outpatient clinics and home health care services;

(iii) On the professional fees of licensed professional health providing home health
care services as endorsed by private hospitals or employed through home health
care employment agencies;

(iv) On medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory fees in all private
hospitals, medical facilities, outpatient clinics, and home health care services,
in accordance with the rules and regulations to be issued by the DOH, in
coordination with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth);

(v) __ Inactual fare for land transportation travel in public utility buses (PUBs), public
utility jepneys (PUJs), taxis, asian utility vehicles (AUVs), shuttle services and
public railways, including Light Rail Transit (LRT), Mass Rail Transit (MRT),
and Philippine National Railways (PNR);

(vi) In actual transportation fare for domestic air transport services and sea shipping
vessels and the like, based on the actual fare and advanced booking;

(vii) On the utilization of all establishments relative to hotels and similar lodging
establishments, restaurants and recreation centers nationwide;

(viii) On admission fees charged by theaters, cinema houses and concert halls,
circuses, leisure and amusement


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(ix) On funeral and burial services for the death of the indigent OFW, regardless of
the cause of death;

b) The grant ofa minimum of five percent (5%) discount relative to the monthly utilization
‘of water and electricity supplied by the public utilities: Provided, That the individual
‘meters for the foregoing utilities are registered in the name of the OF W residing therein:
Provided, further, That the monthly consumption does not exceed one hundred kilowatt
hours (100 kWh) of electricity and thirty cubic meters (30 m’) of water: Provided,
furthermore, that the privilege is granted per household regardless of the number of
OFWs residing therein;

©) Exemption from training fees for socioeconomic programs;

4) Free medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory fees such as, but not limited
to, x-rays, computerized tomography scans and blood tests, in all government facilities,
subject to the guidelines to be issued by the DOH in coordination with the PhilHealth;

e) Tothe extent possible, the government may grant special discounts in special programs
for OFWs on purchase of basic commodities, subject to the guidelines to be issued for
the purpose by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of
Agriculture (DA);

f) Priority in existing livelihood programs beings undertaken by various government
agencies subject to the guidelines and qualifications by the implementing body;

2) Priority in national housing programs, affordable “pabahay” loans and other housing
opportunities subject to the guidelines and qualifications set by the National Housing
Authority or the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF).

SEC. 5. Monitoring and Data Gathering on all OFWs, ~ The Department of Migrant
Workers in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine
Overseas Employment Agency and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
shall maintain and regularly update at least on a quarterly basis the list of all OFWs, including
indigent OFWs, and shall issue a nationally uniform identification card which shall be valid
anywhere nationwide.

SEC. 6. Penalties - Notwithstanding any administrative or civil liability from existing

laws, any person or company who violates the provision of this Act by denying or hindering
an indigent OFW from availing of any of the benefits under this Act shall be penalized by a
fine of:

a. Not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) for the first violation;
b. One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00) for the second violation; and
cc. Two Hundred Thousand Pesos (P200,000.00) for the third violation

SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ The Department of Migrant Workers,
Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Department of
Tourism, and the Department of Finance shall issue the necessary rules and regulations to carry
out the objectives of this Act.


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SEC. 8. Appropriations. ~The National Government shall appropriate such amount
necessary to carry out the objectives of this Act.

SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, decrees, executive orders, issuances, rules and
regulations which may be inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Act are hereby deemed

repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 10. Separability Clause. ~ If any provision of this Act is held unconstitutional or
invalid, such holding shall not affect other provisions not affected thereby

SEC. 11. Effeetivity. ~ This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,