Senator wants repeal of night shift ban for women

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Tuesday called for a law prohibiting women from working at night to be struck out for being unconstitutional and outdated.

The Labor Code of the Philippines imposes a ban on working the night shift to protect them from danger on the streets at night.

"Today, in the age of gender equality and gender balance, night work prohibition for women is an obsolete concept. This concept -- being useless and discriminatory to women -- should be completely abolished," she said.

She said the ban violates gender equality enshrined in the Constitution.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinngoy Estrada has filed a bill to expand the exemptions to the ban to include call center workers but Santiago said the ban has to be repealed completely.

By Jonathan de Santos