Bill seeks to give 5-day special emergency leave with pay
Bill seeks to give 5-day special emergency leave with pay
Paranaque
City 2nd District Representative Joy Myra Tambunting has filed House
Bill No. 8679 or the “Calamity Leave Law”
that aims to extend special emergency leave of 5 days with pay to the
government and private sectors directly affected by natural disasters or
disasters.
In
Southeast Asia, the Philippines has always been a hotbed for typhoons,
earthquakes, and other natural and man-made disasters. The Philippines ranked
third among all countries with an index value of 25.14 points, according to the
World Risk Report 2018.
Its
geographical location and physical environment make it highly susceptible to
numerous natural hazards such as sea-level rise, storm surges, landslide,
flood/flashflood/flooding, and drought.
The
Philippines is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a path marked by active
volcanoes and regular earthquakes throughout the Pacific Ocean. It is also
located right amid the Pacific typhoon belt.
Consequently,
more tropical cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) than
anywhere else in the world. Philippines experience an average of 20 tropical
cyclones yearly, 5-6 of which are highly destructive.
And
while the State has continuously taken steps to ensure that communities are
prepared and resilient to disasters, many Filipinos are located in high-risk
areas, rendering them more vulnerable to damage caused by typhoons and other
natural hazards.
Depending
on the intensity of disasters, these households will have to evacuate their
homes and deal with damages after a disaster-leaving them unable to attend to
their duties and responsibilities as employees.
In her
explanatory note, Rep. Tambunting noted that “This measure seeks to grant special emergency leave to employees
affected by natural calamities or disasters. This is proposed to assist workers
especially considering the distress brought about by disasters and calamities.”
Under
this measure, qualified employees shall be entitled to a five (5) day special
emergency leave each year.