Labor and Employment Sec. Silvestre Bello III. Senate PRIB file photo / Henzberg Austria
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is eyeing a subsidy program that will enable micro and small enterprises to release the 13th month pay of their employees.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Sunday said he will propose a subsidy for micro and small businesses should they be unable to give the 13th month pay of their workers.
“‘Yung mga micro and small, baka hindi makayanan.. I will propose a subsidy for them. Pero this depends on kung saan ang fund source, at kung meron talagang source,” he said in an interview on ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo.
In the absence of a fund source, Bello said the government could refer lending facilities to concerned and affected micro and small business
“May option din, in case walang makitang pondo, baka pwedeng ma-provide sila ng loan facilities, at least, sa mga government banking institution.”
DOLE earlier ordered all companies to release the 13th month pay of workers on or before December 24, 2020, as mandayed by law.