CAMARINES Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte yesterday urged solo parents to immediately update their files with their local government units (LGUs) to avail themselves of the expanded social protection benefits for their sector.
The lawmaker, principal author of Republic Act (RA) No. 11861 or the “Expanded Solo Parents’ Welfare Act,” said single mothers and fathers need to register or update their already existing files with the Solo Parents Offices (SPOs) of the city governments or Solo Parent Divisions (SPDs) of the municipal governments where they live.
The law expanded the benefits for single parents under the two-decade-old “Solo Parents Welfare Act” of 2000 or RA 8972.
Villafuerte cited a 2017 study of the Department of Health and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) that showed there are about 14 to 15 million solo parents in the country.
Under the expanded law, there will be a monthly cash subsidy for single parents earning the minimum wage or lower, on top of the 10 percent discount plus exemption from the 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) on certain essential purchases that they now enjoy.
This includes a 10 percent discount and value-added tax (VAT) exemption on the purchase of their children’s milk, food, micronutrient supplements, sanitary diapers, prescribed medicines, vaccines, and other medical supplies from birth until their children turn six years of age.
However, such discounts and VAT exemptions on qualified purchases can only be availed of by solo parents earning an equivalent of P250,000 annually or lower.
Villafuerte noted that the P250,000 annual income cap is the same income bracket of those who are exempted from paying income taxes under RA 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.
He said solo parents are entitled under RA 11861 to the monthly cash subsidy of P1,000 as long as they are earning the minimum wage or lower and are not beneficiaries of any other government cash assistance program.
Villafuerte reminded members of the sector that they are now also entitled to free PhilHealth coverage.
Under PhilHealth Circular No. 0020 that was issued following last year’s enactment of RA 11861, single parents are required to secure or update their Solo Parent Identification Cards (SPICs) and booklets from their SPOs or SPDs, as the case may be, to be able to avail themselves of the national health insurance for free.
The circular provides that the premium contributions to PhilHealth of solo parents working in the formal economy will be shared equally by the national government and their respective employers.
Villafuerte said that under the PhilHealth guidelines released by then-PhilHealth president-CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., PhilHealth coverage is automatic and applies to both working and non-working solo parents.
Solo parents are eligible to avail of the PhilHealth Konsulta Package in accordance with the existing policy.
They can sign up with their children or dependents with an accredited PhilHealth Konsulta Provider of their choice.
Villafuerte noted that RA 11861 increased the age threshold of the dependents entitled to the law’s benefits from 18 years old to 22 and expanded the coverage of spouses to include not only the legitimate husbands or wives but also their partners in common-law relationships as defined by the Family Code.
RA 11861 mandates that the government “support the natural and primary rights and duty of solo parents in rearing their children by providing for their basic needs, and extending to them assistance in social services and welfare benefits, with the end in view of uplifting their status and circumstances.”
Apart from leave privileges under existing laws, solo parents are also entitled to a seven-day parental leave with pay, regardless of employment status. They also get priority in any telecommuting program in their workplaces.
Solo parents with valid or updated SPICs and with incomes below the poverty level set by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) are also entitled, under a National Housing Authority (NHA) circular, to equal access to housing opportunities in NHA projects and to be members of the Homeowners Association (HOA).
They can also avail of scholarships and other educational programs from the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
