Senate Approved Bill Expanding Benefits, P1,000 Subsidy to Solo Parents

Senate Approve Bill Expanding Benefits to Solo Parents on Third Reading

On the third and final reading, the Senate approved a bill that seeks to improve social safety, benefits, and programs for solo parents.

Because it has been passed in the lower house for a long time, the Senate has already authorized the P1,000 monthly support for single parents, and it is anticipated to become a full-fledged law. They are also automatically members of PhilHealth under the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act.

In addition to the aforementioned subsidies, it provides TESDA apprenticeship programs for qualifying single parents and their children. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a single mother, applauded the bill’s passage in the Senate.

“Bilang solo parent, hindi matatawaran ang saya ko. Siyempre, tagumpay rin ito ng kapwa ko solo parents na walang humpay ang pagpursigeng mapabuti ang kalagayan ng aming mga anak ,” said Senator Risa Hontiveros, main author of the law.

The bill’s counterpart was approved by the House of Representatives earlier this year. The bill’s passage, according to the chair of the Senate Committee on Women and Children, would be a big help to single parents who are struggling to cope with this COVID-19 pandemic.

The measure also broadens the definition of “solo parent” to include the wife or spouse of a low- or semi-skilled overseas Filipino worker (OFW), such as construction and factory workers, as well as domestic workers, who have worked abroad for at least 12 months. Solo parents include foster parents who have been recognized by the DSWD as legal guardians by the court, as well as relatives who have sole responsibility for a child’s care.

Hontiveros went on to say that instead of waiting until the child reached the age of 18, we extended the benefits of single parents until the child reached the age of 22. Hontiveros praised her colleagues for helping to fine-tune the bill, as well as those who supported and advocated for it.

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