Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Sixteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO,__ 4333

Introduced by Hon. Christopher S. Co and Hon. Rodel M. Batocabe

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to create the Rural Employment Assistance Program for
the benefit of qualified head of family or single adult member of poor households
in the rural areas and appropriating funds therefor.

This proposed measure is patterned after the National Employment
Guarantee Act, 2005 which was enacted by the Parliament of India. Under the
National Employment Guarantee Act of India, every household whose adult
member volunteered to do unskilled manual work is guaranteed employment of
not less than one hundred (100) days in every year. Under that same law, if the
adult member is not provided with employment within fifteen (15) days from
receipt of his application for employment, the adult member shall be entitled to a
daily unemployment allowance.

The Rural Employment Assistance Program, however, is aimed at
Providing temporary employment to qualified heads of family or single adult
members of poor households who volunteer to do unskilled manual work in rural
areas where they reside. The Rural Employment Assistance Program is similar
to the Cash for Work Program, one of the sustainable livelihood programs of the
DSWD. Under this bill, the program will be implemented by the DSWD in
coordination with the local government units (LGUs) for a period of five years
The DSWD will take charge of evaluating the qualified head of family or single
adult member of poor households who volunteers to do unskilled manual work
for a period of sixty (60) days in a year. The LGUs, on the other hand, will
provide the works or activities where the qualified head of family or single adult
member of poor households can be employed. The qualified head of family or
single adult member of poor households is entitled to a wage rate of not less
than seventy-five percent (75%) of the prevailing minimum wage set by the
National Wages and Productivity Commission

Suffice it to state, this bill is envisioned to arrest the growing
unemployment rate in the country which is the highest in the ASEAN region
But above anything else, it is designed to make our rural poor productive in
order to uplift their lives and their families as well as to spur economic growth in
their communities.

a A
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is highly recommended.

(| AAI
Rep. ae s.co Rep. RODEL M. BATOCABE
\ \


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Sixteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, 4383

Introduced by Hon. Christopher S. Co and Hon. Rodel M. Batocabe

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR RURAL EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

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

SECTION 1. Short Title. -This Act shall be known as the
“Rural Employment Assistance Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the declared policy of
the State to promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure
the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people
from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services,
promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an
improved quality of life for all. Towards this end, the State shall
provide employment assistance to a qualified head of family or
single adult member of poor households in rural areas identified by
the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction
(NHTS-PR) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development

(DSWD).


SEC. 3. Rural Employment Assistance Program. - For a
period of five (5) years after the effectivity of this Act, the DSWD
shall implement the Rural Employment Assistance Program,
hereinafter referred to as the Program, in coordination with local
government units. The Program shall provide temporary
employment to every qualified head of family or single adult member
of poor households in rural areas who volunteers to do unskilled
manual work for not more than sixty (60) days in every calendar
year.

Rural areas refer to barangays which have a population size of
less than five thousand (5,000). Barangays which do not have an
establishment with one hundred (100) or more employees, or five (5)
or more establishments with a minimum of ten (10) employees, or
five (5) or more facilities within the two kilometer radius from the

barangay hall, are also classified as rural areas

SEC. 4. Assessment to Determine Qualification for
Availment of Employment Assistance. — The Social Welfare and
Development Officer, in coordination with the local chief executive,
shall conduct an assessment of all heads of family or single adult
member of poor households in rural areas who volunteer to do
unskilled manual work to determine whether the head of family or
single adult member qualifies to avail of the employment assistance

under the Program.

For purposes of this Act, poor household refers to members of


a family related to each other by blood, marriage or adoption and
normally residing together and sharing meals together and who are
identified by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty
Reduction (NHTS-PR) of the DSWD to be the poorest families in
rural areas.

The poor household shall be determined through variables
such as ownership of assets, type of housing, educational attainment
of household head, livelihood or occupation of head of the family and

access to water and sanitation facilities.

SEC. 5. Rate of Assistance. - Every qualified head of family
or single adult member of a poor household in the rural areas who
qualified under the Program shall be entitled to receive for each day
of work an employment assistance of not less than seventy-five
percent of the prevailing minimum wage set by the National Wages

and Productivity Commission in the region.

SEC. 6. Types of Works and Activities. — The local
government units (LGUs) shall be responsible for the identification,
execution and supervision of the works and activities to be taken up
under the Program in their respective areas. The works and activities
may be any of the following:

a. Construction or repair of health stations, hospitals,
schools and day care centers;

b. River dredging;


c. Embankment, digging and dredging of canals and
drainage, irrigation, dams, coastal or shoreline clean-up;

d. Communal gardening;

e Mangrove and tree planting or reforestation;

f. Communal farm preparation and planting; and

g. Repair or construction roads and bridges.

SEC.7. Employment Assistance Fund. - There is hereby
created an Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) which shall be
administered by the DSWD. The EAF shall be exclusively for the
benefit of the qualified head of family or single adult member of poor
household in the rural areas who availed of the Program.

The EAF shall be used to pay the wages of qualified head of
family or single adult member of the poor household in rural areas

who availed of the Program.

SEC.8. Appropriations. — The amount of two billion pesos
(P2,000,000,000.00) is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of
any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated to
carry out the mandate of this Act. It shall be utilized in such manner
and subject to such conditions and limitations as may be prescribed
by the Department of Budget and Management. Thereafter, such
sum as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this
Act shall be included in the annual budget of the Department of

Social Works and Development.


SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within
ninety (90) days after the approval of this Act, the Secretary of the
Social Welfare and Development shall, in consultation with the
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, issue the necessary

rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

SEC. 10. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a national
newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,