Tomorrow, January 4, 2016 – it’s back to work after a five-day weekend that started on the 30th of December, 2015 and spilled over to the New Year that fell on a Friday, a regular holiday. The long weekend ends today.
With eleven regular holidays and ten special non-working days declared for the year 2016 – all covered by laws mandating the compensation of holiday work under the Labor Code of the Philippines, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reminded employers to “pay their workers correctly during the holidays”.
President Benigno S. Aquino lll signed Proclamation No. 1105, s. 2015 declaring the twenty one regular and special holidays for the year 2016 on August 20, 2015.
Eidul Adha, also called the Feast of the Sacrifice, a worldwide Muslim religious celebration declared as a regular national holiday is a movable date which shall be determined according to the Islamic calendar by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).
Aquino also ordered the DOLE to make public the pay rules as guidelines for employers and employees under the Proclamation.
Paychecks for employees, except government workers and certain categories of employees will be affected by the number of regular holidays and special non-working days for the year 2016.
HOLIDAY PAY
Under Philippine Labor laws, employees who render work on a regular holiday should be paid at least 200% of his regular daily wage including cost of living allowance (COLA), however, those who did not work on a regular holiday will still get their regular daily wage plus COLA.
But it’s a “no work, no pay” on special non-working days, but those who did work will be paid their regular daily wage multiplied by 1.3.
Also, payment of overtime work during regular holidays is computed at the daily rate + COLA, then multiplied by 2 + hourly rate multiplied by the number of excess hours, then multiplied by 2.6. On the other hand, overtime work rendered during special non-working days is calculated at the daily rate multiplied by 1.3 plus hourly rate multiplied by the number of excess hours multiplied by 1.69.
However, if an employee worked on his scheduled rest day during a regular holiday, he shall be entitled to a holiday pay computed at daily rate + COLA x 2 + daily rate multiplied by 2, then multiplied by .30.
If the employee worked on a rest day during special non-working day the worker receives his daily rate x 1.5.
Applying the DOLE pay rules In Tagbilaran City, workers paid the minimum daily wage of P310 will receive P620 if they did work on regular holidays and will still get P310 even if they did not work.
On special non working days, it is still the “no work, no pay” policy but if they did work they will get P403.
GOVERNMENT WORKERS OUT
The pay rules for regular and special non-working days shall apply to all employees except government and any of the political subdivisions, government-owned and controlled corporations.
Also excluded from holiday pays are domestic helpers or kasambahays and persons in the personal service of another and managerial employees as defined by the Labor Code of the Philippines.
Counted out are retail and service establishments regularly employing less than ten workers, field personnel and employees whose time and performance is unsupervised by the employer, those under contract and purely commission basis and pakyaw (lump sum) arrangement for performance of specific work or service.
ENTITLED
Private school teachers, including faculty members of colleges and universities, may not be paid for the regular holidays during semestral vacations, but they shall be entitled to be paid for the regular holidays during Christmas vacation.
Employees paid on a piece work basis shall get his holiday pay which shall not be less than his average daily earnings for the last seven actual working days preceding the regular holiday.
Seasonal workers may not be paid the required holiday pay during off-season when they are not at work.
DAYS OFF
Next month, a three day week-end – February 6-8 will spark the celebration of Chinese New Year or Spring Festival taking place on a Monday, February 8 and declared as special non-working day nationwide.
National Heroes Day, a regular holiday occurring on August, the last Monday of the month, making it another three day week-end starting August 27-29.
The month of March 24-27 will be the traditional observance of Holy Week, a four day week-end with Maunday Thursday and Good Friday proclaimed regular holidays and Black Saturday, a special non-working day culminating in the celebration of Easter Sunday.
The 2016 national and local elections although not included in the list of holidays is expected to be proclaimed a special public non-working day with election day falling on a Monday, May 9, 2016 making it a three day week-end.
MORE FUN IN BOHOL
While the rest of the country will be toiling on the month of July, Bohol and Tagbilaran City will be enjoying six days of bliss with the following holidays:
July 1 – the City of Tagbilaran will celebrate “Tagbilaran City Charter Day”, declared as a special non-working holiday by virtue of RA 8267 on a Friday, another three day week-end.
July 22 – the Province of Bohol and the City of Tagbilaran will commemorate “Bohol Day” as declared under RA 7683 as a special non-working holiday that falls on a Friday, setting up another three day week-end bonanza.
Bohol will again savor a seven day vacation break starting Saturday, October 29 with October 31 and November 1, All Saints Day declared as special non-working days.
Vacation time will resume on November 4, Friday to commemorate the birthday of the late President Carlos P. Garcia declared as a special non-working holiday under RA 7448 making it another three day week-end.
Declared regular holidays for 2016: Jan. 1 (Fri), New Year; Mar. 24, Maundy Thursday; Mar. 25, Good Friday; Apr. 9 (Sat), Araw ng Kagitingan; May 1 (Sun), Labor Day; June 12 (Sun), Independence Day; Aug. 29 (Mon), National Heroes Day; Nov. 30 (Wed), Bonifacio Day; Dec. 25 (Sun), Christmas Day and Dec. 30 (Fri), Rizal Day.
Special (non-working) days for 2016: Jan. 2 (Sat); Feb. 8 (Mon), Chinese New Year; Feb. 25 (Thurs), EDSA People Power Revolution; Mar. 26 (Sat), Black Saturday; Aug. 21 (Sun), Ninoy Aquino Day; Oct. 31 (Mon); Nov. 1 (Tues), All Saints Day; Dec. 24 (Sat) and Dec. 31 (Sat). (Chito M. Visarra)