Philippine party-list group Babae Ka to push for equal employment opportunity law

Philippine party-list group Babae Ka to push for equal employment opportunity law

by BABAE KA Party-list Monday, Apr. 23, 2007 at 1:21 PM
babae_ka@yahoo.com

Babae para sa Kaunlaran or Babae Ka (You are a Woman) will be enacted by the 14th Congress of the Philippines. Women party-list group Babae Ka has announced that the group would prioritize the passage of the “equal employment opportunity law” which will ban discrimination by age, gender and religion in the process of employment.

MANILA. – If you are a man or woman living in the Philippines and looking for a job, you will always see in the advertisements, “female, 20 to 35 years old” or “male, 25 to 40 years old” as one of the qualifications. Not anymore, that is if the proposal of women’s party-list Babae para sa Kaunlaran or Babae Ka (You are a Woman) will be enacted by the 14th Congress of the Philippines.

Babae Ka chairperson Sally Dagami announced that the group would prioritize the passage of the “equal employment opportunity law” which will ban discrimination by age, gender and religion in the process of employment.

“Discrimination in employment is illegal and immoral. It has been practiced in this country and the Department of Labor and Employment has done nothing about it. It is about time that this discrimination especially against women who are pregnant and all citizens who are above 35 years old be considered an offense punishable with imprisonment,” Dagami explained.

Ruth Vasquez, president of Babae Ka, stated that the group is finalizing research work on the preparation of a bill on equal employment opportunity.

“Given the chance we make it to Congress, this will be the very first proposed law that Babae Ka will file. The ‘Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 2007’ which will be patterned before the ‘Age Discrimination Act of 1967’ that was enacted by the Congress of the United States,” Vasquez said.

The proposal, Vasquez noted, will make it unlawful for any employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's age, gender and religion.

“In this proposed bill of Babae Ka, even the printing of any employment advertisement that will tend to be discriminatory to age, sex and religion shall be unlawful,” Vasquez added.###