Helpful Philippines legislative bills in the pipeline

Towards the end of 2017 last year, the TRAIN law was passed, and we felt its effects this 2018. Now, we have a group of senate/house bills that are around final reading or even awaiting the signature of the president that will benefit a lot of working Filipinos this coming 2019!

Once again, don’t get too excited yet as these bills have not yet become law. But I hope that they do.

Expanded Maternity Leave Act of 2018
The bill seeks to extend the maternity leave granted to both government and private sector employees.

Under the Expanded Maternity Leave Act of 2018, a total of 7 out of the 105 days of leave may be transferred to fathers, extending the latter’s paid paternity leave to 14 days.

Solo working mothers would also get an additional 15 days of leave under the bill for a total of 120 days of paid maternity leave. The bill would also allow mothers to extend their leaves for another 30 days, but these would be unpaid.

14th month pay
DOLE had cited the need to maintain the “beneficial social partnership” between workers and employers. The 14th month pay is seen to help workers to have extra earnings amid the rising inflation.

For businesses worrying about this measure, there would also be exemptions, so our MSMEs have nothing to be anxious about. But then again, we must wait for the final version rather than do more speculations.

Telecommuting Act or Work-from-Home Bill
The bill seeks to allow workers in the private sector to resort to “telecommuting,” which the measure defines as a flexible working arrangement where the employee may work in an alternative workplace with the use of telecommunication or computer technologies.

The “work-from-home” bill is seen to help ease the worsening traffic situation in cities.

Labor Code Amendment
The proposed bill seeks to require a 10-day yearly incentive leave with pay for employees, in a bid to “boost the workers’ morale, wellness, and productivity.”

The current five-day service incentive leave, and other incentives are given based on the prerogative of the employers, either by expressed stipulation on the employees’ contract or through a collective bargaining agreement.

CPD Law changes
Senate Bill (SB) 2073 is now gaining support among teachers and professionals. For those who don’t know, the senate bill seeks to abolish Republic Act (RA) 10912 a.k.a the CPD Law.

I’m not saying it is outright wrong, rather, it is a directive with good intentions but currently operates in a system that has a lot of deficiencies and flaws.

In its current state, the CPD is an additional (financial & time) burden. It has become another source of anxiety amongst professionals. There’s a lot of room for improvement and changes. Professional development should be a well-organized and funded bureaucracy, which also adapts to technology and trends rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Tobacco & Alcohol Tax (increase) amendments
The two tax measures are expected to fund the proposed universal health care program.

All these potential laws can, not only benefit the financial capacity of workers, professionals, and business people, but also improve physical and mental health too.

Let’s all hope that the most sustainable and inclusive versions get passed into law.

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