260% pay awaits workers working on double holiday

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment is urging employers to observe the holiday pay rules for August 21, 2018, which was declared by President Rodrigo Duterte as special non-working and regular holiday at the same time.

DOLE-7 Director Johnson Cañete said the employers should also take into consideration in their computation the new existing wage rates applicable for Central Visayas.

Cañete said employers are mandated to pay 260 percent of the daily wage of the worker reporting for work on that day.

Those who will not report to work are still entitled to 100 percent pay based on the Labor Advisory No. 12 series of 2018 issued by Secretary Silvestre Bello III defining the pay rules for the workers.

   “It means to say that the 200% of the workers’ daily rate is added to the 30% of that rate of 200%. It means further that if a worker receives P500 daily rate, he would be paid P1,000 and an additional P300, which is the result of getting 30% of the P1,000 or 60% from his daily rate of P500,” Can~ete explained.

  For work done in excess of eight hours or overtime work on said day, he said, workers should be paid an additional 30% of their hourly rate.

 “Employers should exercise extra caution in their computations. It is because there is another computation to follow for work done on August 21 which also happens on the rest day of workers,” he clarified.

In this case, he explained, workers should be paid 300% of their daily rate, which could be broken down to giving them 200% daily rate plus the 50% of that same rate of 200%.

For work done in excess of 8 hours or overtime work on said day, which likewise falls on the worker’s rest day, he or she shall be paid an additional 30% of his or her hourly rate on said day.

  “We urge the employers to religiously follow, familiarize with, and be guided by the guidelines on the payment of wages on holidays particularly on August 21 where there are noticeable peculiar computations since two holidays fall on the same day. When workers are given what is due to them, then they won’t have any reasons to feel aggrieved and complain with us,” he added.

  August 21, 2018 is both a special non-working day and regular holiday because of Ninoy Aquino Day and Eid al-Adha or feast of sacrifice for the Muslims.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) for Visayas said the local Muslim leaders in Cebu are already expecting that Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, falls on August 21, Tuesday.

NCMF-Visayas information officer Datu Abubacar Gunang said initially, the celebration was anticipated to happen on August 22. But later on, the global Muslim community has declared that it should be observed on August 21 this year if basing the lunar calendar, he added.

“We (Muslims) are not surprised actually that it will be on August 21. Because we are following the lunar calendar unlike others that use the Gregorian calendar,” he told The Freeman.

Gunang said Eid’l Adha is a movable feast and it has no fixed date.

He said the event is plainly incidental and it never undermines the celebration even if it coincides with another holiday – the Ninoy Aquino Day.

Gunang understood that President Rodrigo Duterte only conformed to the recommendation of NCMF and he was elated that it was affirmed by the president by issuing a proclamation.

Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to obey Allah’s (God’s) command to sacrifice his son. It is one of the greatest feasts of Islam.

The actual date of the feast is contingent on the sighting of the moon of Dhul Hijjah.

Many Muslims, residing in Cebu, consider this day a day of prayer and celebration.

Gunang said the local community will celebrate this day by offering prayers in the morning.

It will be followed with small family gatherings or visits to friends and relatives.—  FPL (FREEMAN)