10-day paid bereavement leave proposed in the Philippines

House Bill No. 2345 or the “Bereavement Act of 2022”, proposed by Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre, allows employees to mourn the death of their family members without losing their income.

“Currently, employees are entitled to the following statutory leaves: service incentive leave; maternity leave or paternity leave, whichever is applicable; parental leave for solo parents; special leave for women, and leave under the Violence Against Women Act. However, no mandatory leaves are granted to employees who have recently lost a family member,” they said in their bill’s explanatory note. 

The lawmakers added the bereavement leave “shall allow the employee to take leave from work to grieve and recover from the loss without sacrificing his/her income.” 

Section 3 of the proposed “Bereavement Act of 2022” defines bereavement leave as a leave taken by an employee to grieve the death, or to attend or plan for the funeral of an immediate family member such as an employee’s spouse, parent, child, brother, or sister, and relatives within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity.

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If enacted into law, the proposed measure sets the fine for violators to P20,000 (US$352) or imprisonment of 15 days to one month, according to Manila Bulletin.