House approves 100-day maternity leave on 2nd reading

By Charmaine A. Tadalan
THE BILL EXTENDING paid maternity leave to 100 days from the current 60 days has hurdled second reading at the House of Representatives, Tuesday.
Voting viva voce, the House approved House Bill 4113, “The 100-Day Maternity Leave Law,” which will also grant all covered female workers in the government and private sector an additional thirty-day leave without pay.
As the measure provides, women in government offices who are on maternity leave shall receive full pay based on their average weekly or regular wages. This is regardless of the worker’s civil status, and of whether the delivery is normal or by cesarean procedure, which have different maternity periods under the current law.
A woman employed in the private sector shall be “paid her daily maternity benefit… based on the average monthly salary credit.”
The measure also covers women working in the informal economy and also applies to those whose delivery resulted in a miscarriage.
Female workers with pending administrative cases will also continue to enjoy maternity benefits.
The bill was authored by Representatives Emmeline Y. Aglipay-Villar, Francisca L. Castro, Pia S. Cayetano, Emmi A. De Jesus, Linabelle Ruth R. Villarica, and Micaela S. Violago, among others.
The bill’s counterpart, Senate Bill No. 1305, grants a maternity leave of 120 days and an optional 30-day extension. It has been approved on third and final reading.