THE RECENT enactment of the expanded maternity leave was long overdue. Now, agencies involved must hasten the drafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) to implement the new law.
Don’t further delay the drafting of the IRR because even the enactment of the law itself was also delayed. The urgent release of the IRR will benefit as many women and infants as possible, especially the poor.
The difficult road the expanded maternity leave law took before its enactment is comparable to a mother who just gave birth after enduring long hours of labor. In the Lower House it went through a very tedious journey. The bill was first introduced in 2010. It was refiled in 2016. Then the plenary deliberations took almost a year before the approval in second reading, then almost a month for third reading approval until the signing into law before the lapse of the 30-day period.
The jubilant reaction to the new law’s enactment across many sectors was no surprise. The previous maternity leave period was inadequate, and in fact among the shortest maternity leave in the world. This new law will make our maternity leave compliant with international standards on maternity protection. Forty-five days more can make a lot of difference. By increasing to 105 days what is just 60 days of maternity leave working mothers are entitled to at present, we as a society show the importance we give to developing our human resources from the womb.
There is a dire need for an additional maternity leave such as in the case of teachers for example, majority of whom are women. Thus we urge the Department of Education to ensure that there is an allotted fund for hiring of substitute teachers to relieve teachers who will have a maternity leave.
We urge, too, the agencies concerned such as the Department of Labor and Employment, the Civil Service Commission, the Social Security System and other stakeholders to hasten the drafting of the IRR for the urgent implementation of the law. This social legislation is what the women need and not the other anti-people and anti-poor priority bills the government is pushing.
Women workers have long fought for longer maternity leave. This victory is theirs with the wholehearted support and admiration of all Filipino trade unions and workers. International Women’s Day in the Philippines next month will surely be a celebration of women’s perseverance, women’s health and women’s rights.
