The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the expanded maternity leave law may be released on May 1, according to the Social Security System (SSS) on Tuesday.
From 60 days, working women will now have 105 days of maternity leave with full pay and the option to extend for another 30 days without pay while solo mothers will get 15 days of additional leave.
Expanded Maternity Leave Law IRR to be released in May
Interviewed on Unang Balita, SSS media affairs department acting head May Rose Francisco said various agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) are working with SSS in creating the IRR.
"Sa aming pagkakaalam, ang target release nito ay sa May 1 kasi po hindi lang po SSS ang gumagawa ng IRR. In fact ang lead po dito ay DOLE. Ang DOLE, ang Civil Service at SSS nagmi-meet po 'yan para mabuo po 'yung IRR," Francisco said.
"Sa aming pagkakaalam, ang target release nito ay sa May 1 kasi po hindi lang po SSS ang gumagawa ng IRR. In fact ang lead po dito ay DOLE. Ang DOLE, ang Civil Service at SSS nagmi-meet po 'yan para mabuo po 'yung IRR," Francisco said.
From 60 days, working women will now have 105 days of maternity leave with full pay and the option to extend for another 30 days without pay while solo mothers will get 15 days of additional leave.
Expanded Maternity Leave Law Is Retroactive
The EML was published on the Official Gazette on February 21, 2019, which means that all Filipino women who gave birth from March 7, 2019 onwards will be eligible to receive the new law's provisions, as follows:
- 105 paid leave days to all working new mothers, both in the government and private sector, regardless of the number of pregnancies they've had or how they gave birth, and irrespective of marital status.
- For cases of miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy, the female employee is eligible to receive 60 days of maternity leave with full pay.
- Seven days out of the 105 paid maternity leave days may be transferred to new fathers, which is in addition to new dads' week-long paternity leave that's already mandated by Republic Act No. 8187, or the Paternity Leave Act if its conditions apply to them.
- Solo moms who qualify under the Solo Parents' Welfare Act, or Republic Act No. 8972, also get an additional 15-day paid maternity leave days.
- All new moms have the option to extend their maternity leave for 30 more days but without pay under the new law, provided they give due notice 45 days before their maternity leave ends.
The article Expanded Maternity Leave Law is retroactive, IRR to be released in May apperaed in smartparenting.com