Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR FREE COVID-19 TESTING FOR ALL JOBSEEKERS, 
WORKERS IN MICRO, SMALL, AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES, AND 
INFORMAL SECTOR WORKERS AND APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted to historical levels of 
unemployment and economic displacement worldwide, with the Philippine 
labor sector facing what the Asian Development Bank (ADB) describes as “a 
crisis like no other.”1 
Mobility restrictions, workplace closures, international demand 
fluctuations, 
and 
supply 
chain 
disruptions 
have 
resulted 
to 
a 
disproportionate amount of job losses, especially for workers in micro, small, 
and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the informal sector. The Department 
of Labor and Employment (DOLE) characterized the country’s pandemic-
related unemployment and underemployment rates as “unprecedented.”2 
One lost job is not just a number. 
Unemployment rates are not just figures. For many of our fellow 
Filipinos, losing work means losing a home, leaving the dinner table empty, 
reluctantly stopping a child’s education, leaving lingering sickness 
1  ADB. COVID-19 and Labor Markets in Southeast Asia—Evidence from Indonesia, Malaysia, The 
Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam (December 2021). 
2 Department of Labor and Employment Bureau of Local Employment. How the Pandemic is Reshaping 
the Philippine Labor Market (November 2020). 
July 14, 2022
9:34 am
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unattended, and, for a desperate few, putting the law into their own hands. 
Labor, the Constitution consciously declares, is “a primary social economic 
force” as the welfare of our Filipino workers is the welfare of the Filipino nation 
as a whole. 
 
Congress has recognized the vulnerability of many Filipino employees 
and workers and while it has been proactive in protecting them under the 
successive Bayanihan to Heal as One Act and Bayanihan to Recover as One 
Act, among other laws and policies, more needs to be done to more 
meaningfully effectuate the State’s duty of affording full protection to labor, 
especially amidst this global pandemic.  
 
This measure fills a gap in social welfare and pro-labor policy by 
providing workers in our most vulnerable labor and business sectors with a 
crucial resource in today’s unpredictable and dynamic public health 
situation. 
 
Since the beginning of this health crisis, the World Health 
Organization (WHO) has emphasized the importance of COVID-19 testing and 
it has been a cornerstone of many governments’ response. In view of the 
importance of this public health tool and strategy, many employers in the 
private sector have adopted a negative COVID-19 test result from jobseekers 
as a condition for hiring.  
 
Many prospective employers even require the conduct of an RT-PCR 
test taken by professional healthcare providers at accredited facilities and 
analyzed by specialized laboratories.  
 
The Department of Health (DOH) has affirmed that the RT-PCR test is 
the “gold standard” in confirming the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus, the 
causative agent of COVID-19. Requiring the laboratory-confirmed result, 
however, despite reasonableness from management’s view, often leaves out 
the fact that many jobseekers, displaced Filipino workers, minimum wage 
earners, among millions, could not personally access and afford undergoing 
the test.  
 
The constantly changing nature of the pandemic because of newer, 
more virulent variants such as Omicron adds further strain to workers. For 
many of them in the retail, services, and food sectors, for instance, the need 
for regular COVID-19 testing is a difficult reality due to exposures in their line 
of duty.  
 


Workers in MSMEs and self-employed workers—productive members 
of our labor force who serve as the backbone of our country’s economy—are 
particularly affected. While PhilHealth does offer subsidized COVID-19 
testing, the scope and coverage of existing benefit packages still exclude many 
prospective jobseekers, MSME workers, self-employed workers, and informal 
sector workers, who may need to undergo regular clinical testing.  
 
By providing free and accessible COVID-19 testing for these members 
of the Filipino labor force, and institutionalizing legislative policies aimed at 
protecting workers against discrimination and unjust practices, this measure 
hopes to promote the safety and welfare of our hardworking fellow Filipinos 
and ensure the sustainability of the businesses that lift up our nation from 
this economic downturn.  
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all Filipino families, but its 
impact is worse for those who already had to live by humble means even 
before all the surges and lockdowns. Our laws, like this bill, must look after 
those who have less in life. With the passage of this measure, Congress 
demonstrates that the spirits of bayanihan and damayan are alive and well 
and that the State continues to be proactive in realizing its preambular 
mission of building a just and humane society that promotes the common 
good. 
 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly 
sought.  
 
 
 
 
 
REP. PM VARGAS   
 
Fifth District, Quezon City 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR FREE COVID-19 TESTING FOR ALL JOBSEEKERS, 
WORKERS IN MICRO, SMALL, AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES, AND 
INFORMAL SECTOR WORKERS 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 “Free COVID-19 
Testing to Promote Labor Act.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to afford full 
protection to labor, promote full employment, and guarantee that no person 
shall be denied access to safe and equal employment opportunities. 
The State recognizes the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to 
the Philippine economy and society, and promotes measures that adapt to a 
new normal, where jobseekers, including first-time jobseekers and displaced 
workers, are meaningfully supported in finding employment. 
The State shall ensure the safety and well-being of micro, small, and 
medium enterprises (MSMEs) and workers in the informal economy in the 
pursuit of their livelihood.  
SECTION 3. Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) Free Testing for 
Vulnerable Workers. – The Department of Health (DOH), in full cooperation 
with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the 
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Department of Trade 
and Industry (DTI), shall provide for free and accessible COVID-19 testing for 
1980


Filipino jobseekers, workers in MSMEs, and informal sector workers 
nationwide: provided, That a person’s COVID-19 test result shall not be used 
to discriminate against employment or continuing employment, or circumvent 
or defeat protections for labor. 
 
SECTION 4. Coverage. – This Act shall apply to jobseekers, employees in 
MSMEs, and informal sector workers in the Philippines, as defined or certified 
by the DOLE, during the state of national emergency as declared by the 
President. For purposes of this Act, the coverage of the COVID-19 Free Testing 
shall include: 
 
(a) A young person who is finding employment for the first time; 
(b) An unemployed person who is actively seeking employment;  
(c) A worker in the micro, small, and medium enterprises or industry; 
(d) An independent, self-employed, small-scale worker; and 
(e) A displaced worker whose employment was permanently terminated 
for authorized reasons or other causes directly arising from the 
COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
SECTION 5. Testing Allocation in COVID-19 Testing Centers. – 
Immediately after the effectivity of this Act, public COVID-19 Testing Centers 
shall allocate a percentage of their daily testing capacity specifically for the 
testing of jobseekers, MSMEs, and informal sector workers covered under this 
Act. The DOH shall develop and implement programmatic incentives for 
accredited private COVID-19 Testing Centers that allocate a similar 
proportion of their daily testing capacity for covered workers. 
 
SECTION 6. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the funds of the Philippine 
Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). Thereafter, such sums as may be 
necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in 
the annual General Appropriations. 
 
SECTION 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The DOH and DOLE 
shall be primarily responsible in implementing the provisions of this Act. The 
DOH and DOLE, in consultation with the PhilHealth, DILG, and DTI shall 
jointly promulgate the necessary implementing rules and regulations within 
thirty (30) days upon the effectivity of this Act. 
 
SECTION 8. Separability Clause. – If any provision is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or provision not otherwise affected 
shall remain valid and subsisting. 


SECTION 9. Non-Impairment Clause. – Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed as to diminish, impair, or repeal rights recognized, granted, or 
made available to disadvantaged, marginalized, or specific sectors under 
existing laws. 
SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, 
modified, or amended accordingly. 
 
SECTION 11. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in at least two (2) newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,