Villar seeks 15-day leave for OFWs' spouses

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Manny Villar has filed a bill that will grant special leave credits to spouses of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and allow them to spent about 15 days a year with their legal partners.

Senate Bill 2588 seeks to allow all legitimate spouses who are employees in the private and public sector to avail of an additional 15-day special leave credit yearly with full pay. This leave credit may be used to attend to the needs of the OFW’s family.

“Families of OFWs suffer the loneliness of being apart from their loved ones while the OFW endures the pain of solitude and isolation in distant lands just to give their families a decent living,” said Villar, who founded the Sagip OFW Helpline to help distressed Filipino workers abroad.

“This leave credit can be a means for them to reconnect and enjoy the many things they are blessed with as a family,” he added.

Under the bill, employees availing of this leave privilege are required to submit to their employer the name of their spouse, a copy of their marriage contract, information on the nature and place of work of the OFW and a copy of the OFW’s passport.

The proposal was first filed by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. in the 14th Congress. Villar filed this bill again in the hope that this will be passed in the new Congress.

Employees not allowed to avail of this leave are those who are absent from work without official leave; those who are on vacation, sick, forced or study leave, or those who have already availed of other forms of leave allowed by law; and those whose services are necessary to prevent loss of life or damage to property brought about by serious accidents, fires, floods, typhoons, earthquake, epidemic or other disasters.

The bill also seeks to give income tax deduction from the employer’s gross income for each taxable year, based on the actual cost paid by the private firm in granting this leave to its qualified employees.

Once enacted into law, any employer found violating this act will be punished with a fine not exceeding P25,000 or imprisonment of 30 days to six months.