MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Monday finally approved a bill that would regulate employers’ practice of publishing work termination notices against staff members in newspapers, social media, and other public information venues.
Under Section 2 of House Bill No. 852, which is a consolidation of House Bill Nos. 2123 and 4847, no employer in the private sector shall publish notices of termination of employment in newspapers, social media, and other public information venues unless upon the concurrence of the following factors:
- If based on employee records, the subject employee has committed serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, falsification of documents, a conviction of a crime involving “moral turpitude,” or analogous acts.
- If the subject employee was an accountable officer or staff, including cashiers, treasurers, collection officers, sale agents or representatives, and other officers or employees who handle cash, property, stocks, and other assets of the employer
- If the employer has reasonable grounds to believe that the former employee shall cause loss or damage or otherwise comprise the interests of the employer
A total of 193 House members voted in favor of the measure on the third and final reading, with zero negative votes and no abstention.
The proposed legislation seeks to penalize an employer who violates the Section 2 provision to pay the aggrieved former employee not less than P10,000 but not more than P50,000 in damages, upon the discretion of the court, without prejudice to the filing of any criminal case.