House approves 10-day service incentive leave

M ANILA -- The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on final reading a bill seeking to increase the yearly service incentive leave (SIL) of employees from five to 10 days.

With 203 affirmative votes, the lower chamber approved on third reading House Bill 6770, which seeks to amend the Labor Code of the Philippines.

House committee on labor and employment chairman Randolph Ting, sponsor of the measure, said the current five-day SIL granted to workers annually is "inadequate to meet the needs of our workers for sufficient rest."

"The complex and stressful lifestyle of our generation leaves the worker susceptible to sickness, aside from stress, due to natural and man-made calamities and other emergencies that require absence from our jobs," Ting said.

"The increase of the service incentive leave to 10 days gives a balanced work-life to employees. The increase to 10 days will certainly be more beneficial to the employee as this benefit is readily available when the employee is sick and needs to seek medical care," he added.

The proposed amendment provides that every employee who has rendered at least one year of service shall be entitled to a yearly service incentive leave of 10 days.

The provision shall not apply to those already enjoying such benefit, those enjoying vacation leave with pay of at least 10 days, and those in establishments regularly employing less than 10 employees or in establishments exempted from granting this benefit by the Secretary of Labor and Employment after considering the viability or condition of such establishment.