CEBU CITY — The Department of Labor and Employment 7 (Central Visayas) on Friday exhorted all employers in the region to observe holiday pay rules for Aug. 21, both a special non-working day and regular holiday in observance of martyr Benigno Aquino Jr.’s death anniversary and Eid’l Adha, respectively.
Newly-installed DOLE-7 Regional Director Johnson Cañete reiterated Labor Advisory No. 12 issued by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello on Thursday, reminding employers nationwide to strictly observe the rules on payment of workers’ wages for the holiday.
“We are urging employers to observe the rules for pay on said day. They also have to religiously take note of the new existing wage rates applicable in Central Visayas in their computation,” said Cañete.
He said employees who would not report for work on Aug. 21 are still entitled to a 100 percent pay for that day, while those who will work shall be paid 260 percent of their daily rate.
“It means to say that if a worker has a PHP500 daily rate, he would be paid PHP1,300 for work done on that day,” explained Cañete.
For work done in excess of eight hours, or overtime work, on that day, he said workers shall be paid an additional 30 percent of their hourly rate.
“Employers should exercise extra caution in their computations. It is because there is another computation to follow for employees working on their rest day on Aug. 21,” Cañete said.
For workers whose day-off falls on that date and will report for duty, Cañete said they shall be paid 300 percent of their daily rate.
An additional 30 percent of his/her hourly rate shall also be paid for overtime work done by an employee working on his day-off, he added.
“We urge the employers to religiously follow, familiarize with, and be guided by the guidelines on the payment of wages on holidays, particularly on Aug. 21, where there are noticeable peculiar computations, since two holidays fall on the same day. When workers are given what is due them, they won’t have any reason to feel aggrieved and complain with us,” Cañete said. (Luel Galarpe/PNA)
