MANILA, Philippines – If signed into law, January 18 will be a non-working holiday dedicated for domestic workers.

On Tuesday, January 30, House committee on revision of laws approved House Bill No. 6285 seeking to declare January 18 as “Araw ng Kasambahay” (Domestic Workers Day). (READ: Fast facts on Filipino domestic workers)

Authored by Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, the bill recognizes the role of domestic workers in households across the country by commemorating the enactment of Republic Act No. 10361 or the Domestic Workers Act in January 18, 2013.

“Setting a special holiday for the kasambahay and declaring it a non-working holiday for all the kasambahay in the whole country is a way of giving due recognition and great recognition for their invaluable service they render to every home and family,” Fariñas said in his explanatory note.

In a statement, Labor Assistant Secretary Joji Arago expressed her support for the bill but said that a specific date for the holiday may fall on a weekday.

“[It] might mean that employers will have to stay at home and take a time home from work so that their kasambahay could celebrate the holiday,” she said. (READ: Are relatives worse employers to Filipino domestic helpers?)

Meanwhile, Abang Lingkod party-list Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano said that should the holiday fall on a weekend, the workfree day should be observed on Friday of that week.

“The spirit of the bill was to provide a work-free day that would not coincide with the weekend, which was when most kasambahay had their rest days,” he said.

Prior to the passage of RA 10361, government estimates that there are some 2.9 million domestic workers in the country.– Rappler.com