Labor Secretary Clarifies Advisory on Paid Quarantine and Isolation Leaves

Private companies are urged to offer isolation and quarantine leaves to their employees, but this advisory is largely optional, clarified Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III during a virtual briefing on Tuesday. Bello also noted that there has been “fake news” spreading, wherein firms are mandated to provide these benefits.

“What we did is only to urge them to consider if they can extend the leave credits of their workers, urging the employers in the private sector kung maaari, kung kaya, [if possible] to extend the leave credit of our workers,” explained Bello. This was in reference to Labor Advisory 2022-01 encouraging firms to adopt and implement a paid isolation and quarantine leave program alongside the existing leave benefits for employees.

The advisory was only released following the move of BDO Unibank Inc. to offer additional leave credits to its employees, particularly for those who have been exposed to COVID-19 or those who have tested positive, given the long quarantine and isolation process that these individuals are required to undergo. This is especially relevant for companies who urge employees to work on-site and follow the no work, no pay scheme.

“Ngayon, ang problema dito, paano kung naubos na ‘yung leave credits mo? Kasi ang ating quarantine is 10 days, dati 14 days pa nga. Talagang wala na, so hindi ka na mabibigyan ng sweldo,” added Bello. “That is the very reason nagpalabas kami ng advisory urging the employers to extend ‘yung leave credits ng mga workers. Ito kasi ay nakita namin doon sa isang big company, ito ‘yung Banco de Oro.”

(“Now the problem is, what happens after you exhaust all your leave credits? The quarantine period is now 10 days, down from 14 days previously. There will be no credits left, so you won’t receive any salary. This is the very reason why we issued an advisory urging employers to extend the leave credits of their workers. This is what we saw in a big company, Banco de Oro.”)

But, not all firms are expected to observe the advisory. Only large companies with sufficient budgets are urged to follow the extension of paid quarantine and isolation leaves. “Actually, ang maka-afford lang dito ‘yung mga large companies. Hindi natin ma-expect ‘yan from the micro and small business enterprises,” Bello elaborated further.

(“Actually, only large companies can afford this. This cannot be expected of micro and small businesses.”)

Source: GMA News