Vice Presidential bet Leni Robredo speaks to the crowd during the National Women’s Month celebration held at the covered court of Barangay Loyola Heights, Quezon City, February 29, 2016.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
Liberal Party vice presidential bet Leni Robredo urged mall and shop owners to give fair treatment to the female members of the workforce by lifting the mandatory pregnancy test when hiring sales ladies.
“Maliban sa ito’y isang uri ng diskriminasyon, ito ay pakikialam na sa pribadong buhay ng isang tao. Higit pa riyan, ang pagkakaroon ng anak ay isang karapatan na hindi puwedeng alisin sa isang babae,” Robredo said in a statement on Friday.
(Aside from the fact that this (mandatory pregnancy test) is a form of discrimination, it is also interferes with a person’s private life.)
The Camarines Sur representative made the pronouncement after reports emerged that some stores are requiring applicants for sales ladies to undergo a pregnancy test first.
Robredo stressed it is enough to ask female applicants to submit requirements connected with the job she is applying for such as health, police and National Bureau of Investigation clearances and not a pregnancy test as this invades the privacy of a person.
“Nananawagan tayo sa mga may-ari ng department stores at iba pang tindahan na ilagay sa lugar ang mga hinihinging requirements nang hindi sinasakripisyo ang kaligtasan ng kanilang negosyo,” she added.
(I am calling on owners of department stores and other stores to ask for appropriate requirements without sacrificing the security of their respective businesses.)
Robredo is one of the authors of House Bill No. 3432 or the Anti-Discrimination Act seeking to eradicate all forms of discrimination in society.
In the measure, discriminations include those based on gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, skin color, civil status, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status and other medical conditions.
“Kahit nakapaloob na sa batas ang patas na trato para sa lahat, ang katotohanan, marami pa ring Pilipino ang nakararanas ng diskriminasyon sa kanilang pang-araw-araw na buhay,” said Robredo.
(Although it fair treatment to all has been stated in our laws, the truth is many Filipinos still experience discrimination in their daily lives.)
The vice presidential candidate noted that many Fiipinos are unable to work and study because of their sexual orientations. RAM
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