You’ve tried simultaneously managing the household, staying on top of the kids’ studies, health and wellness, and attending to your professional duties for at least a few months to a year. This year, you finally decided to get an extra pair of hands to make your load lighter.

While hiring a kasambahay (a Filipino term which is short for “kasama sa bahay” or house help) is a wise move, it goes without saying that it comes with a huge responsibility on your part as an employer. If you’re looking into hiring a kasambahay this year, here are top three concerns you need to know according to the Kasambahay Law, and the members of the Baby and Breakfast community:

According to Republic Act No. 10361, or the Domestic Workers Act or Kasambahay Law, a domestic worker or kasambahay “refers to any person engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship such as, but not limited to, the following: general househelp, nursemaid or “yaya”, cook, gardener, or laundry person, but shall exclude any person who performs domestic work only occasionally or sporadically and not on an occupational basis.”

It’s important for employers to clearly state their kasambahay‘s duties and responsibilities, scope of work, period of employment, compensation and benefits, and other agreements as stated in the Kasambahay Law in an employment contract “in a language or dialect understood by both the domestic worker and the employer.” This way, both parties are protected and safeguarded against conflicts that may arise from services rendered.

A person’s salary or wage has always been a touchy subject, but has become an increasingly sensitive consideration among employers and kasambahays.

Signed into law on January 2013, the Kasambahay Law states that the minimum wage of domestic workers should not be less than P2,500.00/month for those employed in the National Capital Region (NCR), not less than P2,000.00/month for those employed in chartered cities and first class municipalities, and not less than P1,500.00 a month for those employed in other municipalities. This base has been periodically reviewed by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) since a year after its implementation.

In a wage order issued by the RTWPB of the National Capital Region on December 12, 2023, domestic workers in Metro Manila are granted a P500 increase to take effect on January 3, 2024. This brings the monthly wage of domestic workers in NCR from from P6,000 to P6,500.

However, employers from Metro Manila have been offering much higher salaries to their respective kasambahays way ahead of this development.

“Ours is 7k with 13th month pay, all around with 3 handful boys all under 8.”
@chichicervantes

“In the PH I paid ours 12k/mo. For me, our yayas or ates are the extension of us in terms of caring for our home and children. I didn’t have any help for almost a year with a newborn and I saw how much work it is to do ALL the household chores and breastfeed while sleepless so I’m happy to pay this amount.”
@she.is.camille

The Kasambahay Law is also clear-cut on the rights and privileges of a kasambahay. Among those is that employers must shoulder the premiums or contributions for the kasambahay’s Social Security System (SSS), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG given that the latter has rendered at least one month of service. However, domestic workers who receive a wage of P5,000.00 and above monthly should pay the proportionate share in the premium payments or contributions, as provided by law.

Aside from this and the 8-hour daily rest period and the consecutive 24-hour weekly rest period, some moms take it upon themselves to reward or incentivize their kasambahays according to what they see fit.

“Our helper earned 400 pesos rate per day/stay out with 4 days rest days a month. Free toiletries, internet, free meal (whatever we ate, she ate), occasionally bought her and her son stuff like clothing, bags, sandals, gave her pasalubong whenever we went out of town or out of the country.”
@nalyn_chavezcruz

“For us, 7k. With 13th month pay. Planning to increase to 8k this year. Inampon ko na din ang anak nya because wala nang matirahan yng bata. We are also supporting the school needs of her daughter from time to time.”
@morales.dei

Takeaways
It’s also important to note that despite the safeguards, moms have their fair share of kasambahay ghosting stories and yaya mishaps.

“Nagdayoff ng sunday. tapos di umuwi. then the next day ang sabi nya di sya umuwi kasi baha daw kaya nakitulog sa kaibigan. nagsend pa ng pic ng kalsada na walang baha. hindi sya bumalik na since then. 😬”
@trina_maloom

“Mag rerest day daw sya ng sat-sun, hinatid ko pa dun sa tita nya sa Alabang daw. E syempre bago sya sa Manila so todo alala ko pa kaya hinatid ko, malaman laman ko pumasok na pala sa ibang work 🙃”
@anniebagatua

“Pupunta lang daw sa Philhealth para kumuha ng ID. Di na nagreply sa messages. Nung sinabi na i-rereport as “Missing” sa baranggay, biglang nabuhay at nag-message na nagkasakit kaya di muna uuwi.”
@magbanua

However, many moms still advocate for their kasambahay‘s proper compensation and just treatment. After all, kasambahays allow them to take back the time that is otherwise taken by chores and daily nitty gritty tasks.

“This is what they deserve. And we trust them with our children! What they do is tough and challenging, so they must be compensated properly.”
@brainbeam

“Kahit po mahal pa ang isweldo ng employer,kung yung attitude and how they treat them ang importante. Hindi mababayaran yung tiwala at may maaasahan ka sa anak mo. Kapag minahal mo sila,mas mamahalin ka nila ❤️”
@fatchattack

“Minsan ako pa naglalaba ng damit nya. Di dahil tamad sya. There’s nothing wrong minsan mafeel din nila yung ginagawa nila para saten. 🙂 its true, minsan wala sa sahod natin sa kanila. May mga mabubuting puso din, when you take care of them they will return it.”
@lenningb

“Yaya namin has been with us for 9 years. We treat her like family. She is like my sister. She travels with us and eats with whatever we order or whatever food we have. We love and spoil her. We fight like siblings too. She loves my son so much like her own. She has SSS, Philihealth and medical plan. Meron pa syang pamanang lupa sa parents ko as a thank you for staying with us. We set aside money for her retirement too. Pag me kelanganan sya she tells us and we give and support her with no questions.”
@little.ms.maldita

Hiring and onboarding a kasambahay is heavy work in itself, but armed with the right knowledge coupled with an amicable and familial atmosphere in your home, you’re off to a more efficient start for your family and home life with a kasambahay this 2024.

Sources:
• Parungao, Adrian. ‘Kasambahay’ in NCR to get P500 monthly wage hike starting 2024. December 2023
• Philippines. Congress. Republic Act No. 10361. Metro Manila: Congress of the Philippines, 2013.