125 college students get assistance from solon

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Some 125 college students who are currently enrolled in various universities and colleges in Pampanga on Saturday received almost P1.5-million assistance from Third District Representative Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales, Jr.

The distribution of educational assistance was held at Gonzales’ district office in Barangay Sindalan here, and was attended by parents of the student beneficiaries.

“You as students can contribute to development by studying hard and fulfilling your careers,” Gonzales said.

He stressed that scholars who graduate can contribute what they have learned by being productive members of the country’s workforce.

Gonzales also assured scholars that the “Iskolar ng Dong” program, which now has 7,000 scholars, will continue to support more students needing assi st an ce.

“We will be opening more slots subject to available funds. Education should be made accessible to more indigent students. Ours is more of an assistance program but we hope that we could help in reducing the cost of education for these beneficiaries,” Gonzales said.

“The passage of the 100-Day Maternity Bill in Congress is a win for the working women and a step forward to improving maternal health care, at least for the working sector,” says CWR Executive Director Jojo Guan.

“We genuinely hope that this Bill will be signed into law by President Duterte,” she adds.

Guan, however, notes that while this Bill, when enacted, will provide an enabling environment for working mothers to care for their newly-born babies, this still does not guarantee full protection of working women.

“Apart from the absence of penalty for employers who do not implement or violate the provisions of the Bill, it also does not provide protection for pregnant workers who may be discriminated against by the employers. So we challenge the Bicameral committee to address those loopholes before it’s too late,” Guan explains.

Guan also adds that while many women workers will benefit from this Bill, reality remains that many women are hampered by job insecurity and low wages brought about by widespread practice of contractualization both in government and private sect or s.

Using the records of Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES), CWR has reported that since 2010, the number of those employed in permanent jobs has gained 4.43 percent only while the seasonal or temporary workers have posted a 16.35 percent increase and those employed on a daily or weekly basis have increased by 72.87 percent .

“Given the realities of contractualization and unsafe and indecent working conditions in the Philippines, the road to improving the conditions of working women still has a long way to go, but this 100-day Maternity Leave Bill can be a good start,” Guan says. (Press Releaee)