ILOILO City – The newly approved law extending maternity leave to 105 days will bring many advantages to mothers and their children, according to the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6.
Among these is longer time for breastfeeding, said DOH regional director Dr. Marlyn Convocar.
President Rodrigo Duterte last Wednesday signed Republic Act 11210, or the Expanded Maternity Leave Act.
Under the Act, working women will have 105 days of maternity leave with full pay and the option to extend for another 30 days without pay. Solo mothers will also have an additional 15-day leave.
Before, working mothers were entitled to only 60 days of paid leave credits for normal deliveries and 78 days for caesarean deliveries.
With the new law, female workers will now have more time to spend taking care of and bonding with their children, according to Convocar.
“Kon ang iloy mag-stay long after delivery, may time gid sia sa pag-breastfeed sa bata. Not only sa pag-breastfeed but ang hygiene mahatagan man importance,” Convocar added.
A longer time for breastfeeding will help improve children’s health, the DOH Region 6 head stressed.
The Expanded Maternity Leave Act applies to “every instance of pregnancy, removing the 4-pregnancy cap” and all “female workers regardless of civil status.”
In case of a miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy, a 60-day paid maternity leave shall be granted to a female worker, the law added.
Maternity benefits shall also be granted to female workers in the informal economy, provided they have remitted to the Social Security System at least three monthly contributions in a 12-month period immediately preceding the semester of their childbirth, miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the signing of the new law is a “massive victory” for women and their families.
“The signing into law of the Expanded Maternity Leave Act is a moment mothers, families, and children will not only remember, but a victory generations of Filipinos will reap the benefits of for the rest of their lives,” Hontiveros said.
The Department of Labor and Employment made the bill a “priority legislation” and was reviewed by concerned government agencies, including the tripartite council, before Duterte’s signing./PN
