Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 1552

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVES ALFREDO A. GARBIN, Jr. and
ELIZALDY S.CO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bili seeks to create the Rurai 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 aduit 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 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 say, this Bill is envisioned to arrest the growing unemployment rate in
the country which is the highest in the ASEAN region. But above anything, it is designed
to make our rural poor productive in order for them to uplift their lives and their families
as well as to spur economic growth in their communities.

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

ALFREDO A.\GAI \Y S.CO


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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 1552

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVES ALFREDO A. GARBIN, Jr. and
ELIZALDY S.CO

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 Program 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 Programm. — 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 families in
rural areas who volunteer/s to do unskilled manual work for a minimum of forty-five (45)

days but not more than ninety (90) days in every calendar year.

Rural areas refer to barangays which have population size of less than two

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thousand five hundred (2,500). Barangays which do not have an establishment with


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twenty-five (25) 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 DSWD, in close coordination with the local government
units and other concerned government agencies, shall conduct an assessment of all poor
individuals and families in rural areas who signified interest to do unskilled tabor to
determine eligibility in availing of the employment assistance program.

For the purpose of this act, the poor shall refer to individuals and families whose
income fall below the poverty threshold as defined by the government and/or cannot
afford in a sustained manner to provide their minimum basic needs of food, health,
education, housing and other essential amenities of life or those who have been identified

as poor by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR).

SEC. 5. Rate of Assistance. — Every qualified head of family or single adult
member of a poor family in the rural areas who qualified under the Program shall be
entitled to receive for each day of work an employment assistance equal to the applicable
minimum wage set by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in the region
They shall also be entitled to the payment mandatory social security dues such as

Philhealth, Pag-ibig and Social Security System (SSS).

SEC. 6. Types of Works and Activities. — The DSWD, in coordination with the
local government units and other concemed government agencies, shall take the lead in
the implementation of the rural employment assistance program along project
identification, implementation and monitoring of the works and activities. The works and
activities for this purpose are classified as activities that will mobilize eligible poor
individuals and families to finish a project in a given period. These projects may include,
but are not limited to, the following:

a. Development, re-building/rehabilitation of agri-based livelihood assets
destroyed or lost due to natural disasters (e.g. desilting of irrigation canals, development

of paddy dikes, rehabilitation of water impounding, among others)
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b. Rehabilitation and or development of common service facilities, which are
being shared and used by poor families as production or consolidation centers/units (e.9
post-harvest facilities, public markets etc.)

c. Development or rehabilitation of physical assets to open up access to
natural assets where the former is necessary to bring out the products of poor families to
the market (e.g. farm to market road, slope protection, bridges, among others)

d. . Protection of productive assets through mitigation measures such as
mangrove planting/rehabilitation, tree planting and the likes. .

SEC. 7. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation of
the rural employment assistance program shall be included in the budget of the DSWD in

the annual general appropriations act.

The DSWD may also get funds, donations and other forms of financial support
from foreign and local persons, institutions and governments for the implementation of

rural employment assistance program.

SEC. 8. Employment Assistance and Skills Training Fund (EASTF). There is
hereby created an Employment Assistance and Skills Training Fund (EASTF) which shall
be administered by the DSWD. The EASTF shall be exclusively for the benefit of the
qualified head of family or single adult member of poor family in the rural areas who

availed of the Program.

The EASTF shall be used to pay the wages and skills training programs of qualified
head/s of families or single adult member/s of the poor families in rural areas who availed

of the Program

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