DOLE-7: Only 340 CV firms complied in 2017

13th MONTH PAY

ONLY 340 business establishments out of an estimated hundreds of thousands of them in Central Visayas have given their employees their 13th month last year.

Luchel Taniza, Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) information officer, told Cebu Daily News during an interview, that this is based on their monitoring since December 25, 2017 until their deadline of submission of the compliance report on January 15, 2018.
She said that around 45,232 employee’s has benefited from it with a total amount of P415,214,225.

Though, Taniza clarified that the data was based on the actual number of business establishments that were registered before in their office.

“That’s why we are encouraging all business establishments to register at DOLE for us to establish our own data base. Though, the order was not mandatory and business establishments would not be penalized if they can’t register,” Taniza said.

She added that they are still collating their data on the number of business establishments that have already registered in DOLE-7.

She also said that those business establishments that had not yet complied with the requirement to give their employees 13th month pay were warned that Dole-7 would do routine inspections of companies.

She was also encouraging employees to file a complaint before their office if until now, their employers had not yet released their 13th month pay.

“If we will found out that a company has not complied in giving 13th month pay to their employees, then we will call their attention for mandatory conference under our single entry approach (SENA). Afterwards, we will give them ample time to comply,” she added.

Taniza added that if a company still does not comply, DOLE-7 will issue an order to sheriff the amount intended for their employees 13th month pay.

Under the Presidential Decree (PD) 851 or the 13th Month Pay law in the Philippines, 13th month pay should be release on or before December 24.

Though, employers has the discretion to release the said benefit in full or pay half of it in the first half of the year and the other half in the 2nd half of the year.

The law as well does not penalize erring employers, but she clarified that the giving of 13th month pay is mandatory.

Aside from its compliance in giving 13th month pay, DOLE-7 will also check their compliance on the provisions of Occupational Safety and Health Standards and General Labor Standards upon inspection of DOLE’s Labor Laws Compliance Officers (LLCOs).