1TAHANAN Party-list Rep. Nathaniel Oducado has filed a measure that will protect freelancers from nonpayment, unfair contracts and other abusive practices, noting that the sector has “little legal protection despite their growing role in the economy.”
“Too many freelancers are left unpaid, underpaid or forced into unfair terms, and they have nowhere to turn when things go wrong,” Oducado said in explaining House Bill 8785, or the Freelance Workers Protection Act.
His bill defines freelance workers as “any self-employed individual or single-person entity hired to provide services as an independent contractor, working under their own methods without being controlled by the hiring party except on the results of the work.”
The bill establishes mandatory written contracts, requires at least a 30-percent down payment, provides night shift differential and hazard pay, and penalizes late payment, contract manipulation and retaliation with fines of up to P500,000.
“Right now, freelancers can be ignored, shortchanged or replaced without consequence, and many hiring parties abuse this gap in the law,” Oducado said.
The bill also allows freelancers to file complaints with the Department of Labor and Employment for faster dispute resolution and grants tax relief, and dedicated assistance desks in BIR offices.
“This measure simply says that honest work deserves fair pay, clear terms and real protection under the law,” Oducado, a neophyte lawmaker, said.
