The bill covers everyone - regardless of employment status
Philippine Senator Lito Lapid has introduced a new bill seeking to provide Filipino workers with 28-day paid leave in case they need to undergo quarantine because of COVID-19. Lapid is seeking an early passage of the bill which, if passed into law, will address the consequences when an employee is exposed or infected with COVID-19 because of their work.
It will also grant employees in the public and private sectors an annual 28-day paid quarantine leave, which will be shouldered by the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System. The legislation will cover all workers regardless of their employment status within the company.
The pay will be equivalent to the employee's daily wage rate while in quarantine, as long as it does not exceed 28 days. It will also not "replace, diminish, or prejudice" existing benefits, such as sick leave and hazard pay.
"This will prevent the spread of diseases not only in the workplace but possibly to any other member of the society," said Lapid in the bill's explanatory note.
Read more: Philippines to allow unvaccinated employees return to work
However, the bill stipulates that if the employee was infected with COVID-19 because of the employer's "negligence," then the burden of shouldering the expenses falls on the company. If employers refuse to grant the said quarantine leave benefit, they can be fined between PHP30,000 to PHP200,000.
"If the act or omission penalised by the Act was committed by an association, partnership, corporation, or any other institution, its managing head, directors, or partners shall be held liable to the penalties provided by this Act," read the bill.
The Philippines is one of the nations that are hit hard by COVID-19, with 39,980 active virus cases from a total caseload of 2,522,965 as of September 28, according to data from the Department of Health. President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night raised the suggestion of mandating vaccines to increase jab coverage in the population. As of September 27, the country has administered a total of 44,361,285 doses.
