By Gillian M. Cortez
Household workers are now entitled to leave benefits courtesy of the labor department’s advisory, which reinforces Republic Act 10361 or the Kasambahay law.
“Our household service workers shall be entitled to all the rights and benefits granted under RA 10361, or Batas Kasambahay, as amended unless expressly provided. The employers are not prohibited from granting such other benefits in addition to the minimum requirements of the law,” Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Secretary Silvestre H. Bello said in a press statement on Wednesday, July 4.
The labor secretary issued Labor Advisory No. 10 or “Entitlement of Kasambahay to Other Statutory Leave Benefits and Labor Standard Benefits” which will further strengthen the rights of household workers and their entitlement to work benefits and statutory leaves.
The labor advisory identified three other laws that “entitle kasambahays to special leave benefits,” DoLE said in its press statement.
Household service workers can avail of the Solo Parent Leave (Republic Act 8972), Special Leave Benefit for Women under the Magna Carta for Women (Republic Act 9710), and Violence against Women and their Children (VAWC) Leave (Republic Act 9262) “provided he/she meets all the conditions for entitlement,” the advisory stated.
Aside from these leaves, household workers are also still entitled for a five-day service incentive leave that is granted under the Labor Code.
DoLE said that the Kasambahay Law will entitle household workers to “13th-month pay, five days annual service incentive leave, and a one whole day uninterrupted weekly rest period.” Household workers will also get to enjoy social benefits such as availing Social Security System(SSS), Philhealth, and Pag-Ibig.

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