Zamboanga City-The Unified Registration for Kasambahays in Zamboanga City kicked-off last July 28, 2013 at Brgy. Sta. Maria Covered Court, this City.

This is in line with R.A. 10361 otherwise known as the "Domestic Workers' Act" or "Batas Kasambahay", an Act Instituting Policies for the Protection and Welfare of Domestic Workers which took effect on June 4, 2013.

The one-day Unified Registration for Kasambahays was spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment Regional Office 9 (DOLE RO9) in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Employees' Compensation Commission (ECC), Social Security System (SSS), Philippines Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Home Mutual Development Fund (HMDF)/ Pag-IBIG Fund and the Zamboanga City Government in coordination with the Barangay Council of Sta. Maria, this city.

Participating agencies such as SSS, ECC, PhilHealth and HMDF assisted employers and kasambahays through-out the registration process. Likewise, an orientation on the salient features of R.A. 10361, relevant services and social benefits provided by the respective agencies were presented to the participants.

Succeeding registration activities will be conducted in different venues all over the region for the continuous registration of employers and their kasambahays as mandated under R. A. 10361.

Cerna I. Ahmad, ECC REU-IX