Here’s a good news for all the mothers out there.
“The House of Representatives Committee on Women and Gender Equality has endorsed for plenary approval a bill seeking to increase the maternity leave period to 100 days with pay,” a recent ABS-CBN article tells us.
House Bill 4113 or the proposed “100-Day Maternity Leave Law” likewise proposes a 30-day unpaid extension for female workers, whether they’re working in the government or private sector, should it be necessary.
Presently, the allowed maternity leave only runs between 60 to 78 days.
With this bill, women will be able to have peace of mind knowing that their maternity leave will not be used against them as a basis for termination. Moreover, the bill ensures that women will not experience any “reduction in rank, status or salary,” the report emphasizes.
Furthermore, another provision says that a female SSS (Social Security System) member who has paid at least 3 monthly contributions within the 12-month period prior to the semester of her childbirth or miscarriage will be eligible to receive a daily maternity benefit for 100 days – the amount of which will be computed based on her average monthly salary.
The ABS-CBN report likewise clarifies:
“The measure also specifies that female workers in the private sector availing of the maternity period and benefits must receive not less than two-thirds of their regular monthly wages and that employers shall be responsible for the salary differential between the actual cash benefits received from the SSS and their average weekly or regular wages, for the entire duration of the ordinary maternity leave subject to exceptions such as those operating distressed establishments; retail/service establishments employing not more than 10 workers; those who pay their workers on a purely commission, boundary, or task basis; and those who are paid a fixed amount for performing a specific work.”
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the SSS will respectively handle the task of reviewing maternity leave benefits of women employees in the government and the private sectors.
Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, committee chair and DIWA party-list representative, considers the substitution of the bill as a “landmark legislative measure.”
Watch also the propossal last January 2016