ILOILO – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is urging all employers in Western Visayas to release the workers’ 13th month pay on or before Dec. 24, 2021.
The 13th month pay is a mandatory benefit provided to rank and file employees pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 851, according to Atty. Sixto T. Rodriguez Jr., officer-in-charge director of DOLE in Region 6.
Employers can give employees their 13th month pay in advance, said Rodriguez.
He also said the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is not a reason not to release the 13th month pay.
Based on a labor advisory issued by Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III, rank-and-file employees in the private sector shall be entitled to 13th month pay “regardless of their position, designation or employment and irrespective of the method by which their wages are paid, provided that they have worked for at least one month during the calendar year.”
The minimum 13th month pay required by law shall not be less than one-twelfth (1/12) of the total basic salary earned by an employee within a calendar year.
No request or application for exemption from payment of 13th month pay, or for deferment of the payment thereof shall be accepted and allowed.
Employers shall make a report of their compliance online through the DOLE Establishment Report System at reports.dole.gov.ph, not later than Jan. 15 of the following year, Bello said.
The report must indicate the name of the establishment, number of workers, the total amount of benefits granted, and total employment, among others./PN
