A bill in the Senate would set a national entry-level wage of at least ₱36,000 for workers in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. It would also require hazard pay for employees who report for work during calamities and give them regular status after training or probation.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor and Employment, filed Senate Bill 1493, the “BPO Workers’ Welfare and Protection Act,” on November 17, 2025. The measure seeks to expand job security, give workers medical benefits earlier and tie the sector’s starting pay to the family living wage.
Tulfo said, “This bill aims to uphold and safeguard the rights of many Filipinos.” He added that the bill restates the labor standards in the Labor Code and adds benefits aimed at problems specific to BPO work.
What the bill provides
- BPO operations would be suspended automatically during typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, fires and other states of calamity.
- Reporting for work would be voluntary during heavy rains and other bad weather. Employees who choose to work would receive hazard pay.
- BPO workers would become regular employees after a probationary period of up to six months. Workers whose training lasts less than six months would become regular employees once training ends.
- Medical benefits would take effect upon hiring instead of after regularization.
- Workers’ rights to organize, to bargain collectively and to take part in decisions on workplace policies would be strengthened.
Background
The filing followed reports that some BPO companies allegedly required employees to report onsite during Super Typhoon Uwan. Workers reportedly waded through floodwaters and worked through power outages. The IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said that its member companies comply with labor rules during calamities.
The BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN), a workers’ group, has estimated the sector’s workforce at 1.8 million. The group has said that the Senate bill closely mirrors House Bill 5166, the proposed Magna Carta for BPO Workers.
The Senate labor committee took up the bill at a hearing on January 21, 2026, where BPO employees described unsafe working conditions and inadequate health coverage. The latest legislative status of the bill could not be confirmed at the time of writing.
To become law, the measure must pass both the Senate and the House of Representatives and be signed by the President.
