Legal requirements for employing minors in the Philippines

All work and no play makes Juan dela Cruz a dull “boy.”   Our boys and girls are supposed to be playing and schooling, not working.  This is perhaps what lawmakers had in mind when they crafted laws protecting minors who are employed.  Thus, even if our laws allow minors to work, it is subject to stringent requirements.   Employers are required to comply with the minimum hours of work specifically applicable to minors.  It is also a must to provide favorable facilities and services, especially unhindered access to education.   Most importantly, the express consent of the parents or guardians and the child is necessary.  All of these are aimed at promoting the “best interest” of the child. Read more

Philippine laws for women at work

Through the years, women have always been regarded as inferior to men. Tagged as the weaker sex, women strived to achieve a better place in Philippine society. From the struggle for the right to vote and to the right to engage in male-dominated occupations, women have shown that they can be as good, even better, contributors to society’s progress.

In recognition of women’s important role in our nation’s development, our lawmakers have passed several laws addressing their problems and protecting their rights against abuse and discrimination. Notably, in the field of labor law, women are considered as a special category of employees. Their working conditions are treated in a separate chapter in the Labor Code (Chapter I, Title III, Book III).  They are given special benefits and privileges to address the historical problem of women being subjected to unfavorable conditions of work. Read more

Philippines’ Top 25 Blogs of 2009

Blogs are still kicking and so alive this year. Even though new social media technologies are already emerging like lifestreaming and other social networks platforms, the truth is, blogs will not be replaced instead will continue innovating and evolving into a more interactive, efficient and effective forms of web expressions. That is why blogging is still a very exciting and rewarding activity in the face of the Internet. Consequently, competition for bloggers is still in its high level.  In this article is a list of the 25 best blogs in the Philippines ranked according to popularity (Alexa) and importance (Google). Read more

Overtime pay laws and computation in the Philippines

Man is not a machine. At the end of the day, he has to rest to rejuvenate and prepare himself for tomorrow’s work. That is why labor standard laws in many countries set up maximum hours of work for employees. In the Philippines, our Labor Code fixed the maximum at eight (8) hours a day (see Article 83, Labor Code of the Philippines) for six consecutive work days (Article 91, LCP). If the employee works beyond eight hours, the employer is required to pay an additional compensation equivalent to the employee’s regular wage plus at least twenty-five percent (25%) of such regular wage. The rate is increased to thirty percent (30%) if the worker renders overtime on a holiday or rest day. (Article 87, LCP).   Read more

How to compute 13th Month Pay: DOLE Philippines

We are already on the month of October and after a few months, Christmas season is here again. For employees, that season sounds delightful. Aside from the enjoyable Christmas party and the series of vacations, the long awaiting 13th Month pay will finally land in our hands. For employers, this extra month pay is an additional mandated expense given to employees once or twice (installment) a year. However, some good business owners and employers see the giving of this added remuneration to employees as an appreciation and gratitude for their valuable contribution to their companies.

An employer must know how to compute the lawful amount of 13th month pays to be distributed to his employees. On the other hand, it is clever for an employee to know the computation of his thirteenth month paycheck to ensure that he is receiving it in the right amount of money. So to know what must be known, the following guidelines are presented below. Read more

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