.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Lawmakers call for passage
of ggeconomy'measures
_ By lovEE MARIE N. DELA CRUZ
, t @joveemarie
A S the country's so-called gig economy
A industrycontinuestorise.lawmakers
Z \re pusiring for measures to protect
freelanceworkers byestablishingabasicregu-
latoryframeworkto enable them to anticipate
challenges ahead.
Duringthehearing of the House Commit-
tee on Labor and Employmeat on Wednes-
day, J.-Pacman Rep. Enrico Pineda, thepanel
chairmair, said there are fourpendingbills
providing protection and incentives for
freelance workers-
House Committee on Ways and Means
chairman Joey Sarte Salceda, one of the au-
thors of the four.bills, said the gig economy
will grow larger as a sector, saying now is the
time to establish abasic regulatoryframework
for the sector.
Moreover, in his aide rnemoire addressed
to the leadership of the lower chamber, Sal-
ceda said most freelance workers are not
given due respect due to the transient nature
of their employment.
"They are also more exposed to fraudu-
lent transactions, exploitation of skills, and
unpaid gigs," he said.
"It is also hard for freelance workers to
pursue clients and,/or companies in cases
of non-payrnent because of failure to prove
employee-employer relationships if they are
working without contracts," he added.
' Salceda said the Philippines placed 6th in
the world as the fastest-growing market for
the gig industry, with a 35 percent growth in
f reelance earnings accordingto a 2019 report
by Payoneer on "Global Gig Econortiy Index."
*
,Aqn
Salceda also singled out confusing tax fil-
ingprocesses forfreelance workers as amajor
problem f orthose in the gig ecohomyindustry
"These issues include: submitting incod-
plete and incorrect data, miscalculating the
tax due, not declaring every income earned
and dissing the deadline," he added.
According to Salceda, the government,
the work force, and the labor sector rritrst
be creative and assertive in their rcile in
ensuring that f reelance workers are always
protected.
"Filipinos are the top internet users in
- t\ ryorld, spending an average oi 10 ho,rrc
online a day according to WeAreSocial and
Hootsuite. We are the best-placed country to
take advantage ofthe gig economy," he added.
"The proposed fram€work irnder my
House Bill 1527 is both proactive in pre-
serving the inviolable dignity of labor, while
also being basic enough to allow for.{uture
developments in this evolving sector,'' the .
lawmaker said.
Salceda's bill provides a remedy in the
event that an employer refus es to pay a free-
lancer for services rendered. The aggrieved
party can file a complaint to the appropri-
ate agencyfbrprotection. It will also provide
penalties for any violation of their rights.
Under the bill, once a freelance worker
has commenced work under the contract, no
hiring party may require as a condition of
payment that a freelance worker accept less
than the specified contract price.
The measure also takes into account ease
of doing business for freelancers, making it
easier for freelancers to registerwith the Bu-
reau of Internal Revenue, and in othei gov-
ernment agencies.
- 6,