A proposal to double the mandatory Service Incentive Leave (SIL) for qualified Filipino workers from five days to 10 days has been introduced in the House of Representatives under House Bill 10753, authored by 4Ps Party-list Rep. JC Abalos.
The bill highlights that the statutory minimum leave entitlement in the Philippines, established under the Labor Code for employees with at least one year of service, has remained at five days for more than 50 years. Abalos noted that this lags behind neighboring Southeast Asian nations, such as Singapore, which grants seven to 11 days of paid leave and Malaysia, which provides eight to 16 days.
Given that many Filipinos work far from home, the expanded leave aims to afford workers essential time for rest, health and family obligations without sacrificing their earnings.
“Ang mga manggagawa ay hindi lamang bahagi ng ating workforce. Tao sila na nangangailangan din ng sapat na panahon para makapagpahinga, magpagaling kapag may sakit, asikasuhin ang kanilang personal na pangangailangan, at gampanan ang kanilang responsibilidad sa pamilya. Mahigit 50 taon nang limang araw ang minimum Service Incentive Leave. Panahon na para dagdagan ito,” Abalos said.
“Kung madadagdagan natin sa sampung araw ang annual Service Incentive Leave, mabibigyan natin ang ating mga manggagawa ng karagdagang panahon para makapagpahinga, makauwi sa kanilang pamilya, at maasikaso ang mahahalagang pangangailangan nang hindi isinasakripisyo ang kanilang sweldo,” he added.
By granting workers more time to care for themselves and their families, the measure ultimately seeks to uphold the dignity of the Filipino workforce and align with the constitutional mandate to protect labor rights and promote worker welfare.