Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 4) — Two lawmakers have filed a bill seeking to grant employees in the public and private sectors a 10-day bereavement leave with full pay.
House Bill 2345, or the Bereavement Leave Act of 2022, aims to “allow the employee to take a leave from work to grieve and recover from the loss without sacrificing his income,” Tingog Sinirangan party-list Representatives Yedda Romualdez and Jude Acidre said in the explanatory note.
They also said the bereavement leave is only applicable following the death of an employee’s immediate family member.
Currently, employees are granted statutory leaves, namely service incentive leave, maternity or paternity leave, parental leave for solo parents, special leave for women and leave under the Violence Against Women Act, they added.
An employee availing of the bereavement leave “shall be assured of security of tenure,” and this shall not be used as a reason for misconduct, demotion, termination, or any form of unsatisfactory performance. Violators will face a fine not exceeding ₱20,000 or imprisonment of 15 days to one month, the bill said.
If the violation is committed by a corporation, trust company, partnership, association, or any other entity, the imprisonment penalty shall be imposed on the responsible officers like the president, vice president, chief executive officer, general manager, managing director or partner directly responsible, the bill added.
When the bill becomes a law, the Department of Labor and Employment and the Civil Service Commission will be tasked to issue the rules and regulations for the implementation of the measure.
