Dole: Holy Week holiday pay can be deferred

MANILA, Philippines — Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has allowed employers to defer the payment of holiday pay during Holy Week amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Bello said the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) was giving businesses the leeway to belatedly pay their employees for work rendered next week from April 9 to 11, on Araw ng Kagitingan, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday, “until such time that the present emergency situation has abated and the normal operations of the establishment is in place.”

Businesses are also exempted from paying their workers the holiday pay if they have totally closed or ceased operations due to the enhanced community quarantine.

Under Labor Advisory No. 13, issued on March 30, employees who report for work on April 9 are entitled to receive 300% of their daily wage, while those who don’t would still be paid 200 percent.

For Good Friday, employees are to be paid 200% of their daily wage should they render work, and 10% if they don’t.

Since Black Saturday is a special nonworking day, a “no work, no pay” policy will be implemented. Those who report to work would, however, get an additional 30%  of their daily wage.

—JOVIC YEE