House bill expands prohibited discriminatory acts vs women in the workplace

Members of the House of Representatives have unanimously approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to expand the prohibited discriminatory acts against women in the workplace.

With 197 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and no abstentions, the lower chamber approved on Tuesday House Bill 6769, which seeks to amend the Labor Code of the Philippines.

The bill stipulates as acts of discrimination against women the following conditions: favoring a male employee over a female employee with respect to the dismissal of personnel or the application of any retrenchment policy of the employer solely on the account of their sex; denying women the benefits of employment or other statutory benefits under existing laws by reason of their sex.

Under the bill, violators may face fines from P50,000 to P200,000 or imprisonment from three months up to three years or both, which is  at the discretion of the Court.

A non-Filipino offender, after serving the imposed penalties, would also be deported. /ee