Privately-owned business establishments are required to submit their 13th-month pay reports to the Department of Labor and Employment on or before January 15.
Luigi Evangelista, DOLE Palawan chief labor and employment officer said Thursday at a PIA-hosted Kapihan that the requirement is “mandatory”.
“Sa ngayon, mandatory din na mag-submit ang mga establishment ng kanilang mga binayaran na 13th-month pay, mag-submit sila ng report sa DOLE. Mandatory na mag-submit sila, all establishments. Kapag hindi nag-submit, during the inspection, titingnan ‘yon kung nag-submit sila o hindi. Kapag wala, kasama ‘yon sa violation,” he said.
Evangelista said that about 90 percent of the single entry approach or SEnA received by their agency include complaints on non-payment of 13th-month pay.
SEnA is a reformed measure institutionalized through Department Order No 107-10 to effect a faster, fairer and less expensive settlement of labor issues and to prevent actual labor cases to grow.
“Ano ‘yong reason na may nagki-claim na hindi nababayaran ‘yong 13th-month pay, meron kasi na mga establishment na although nagbabayad sila ng 13th-month pay, ang nangyayari, akala nila, kapag natanggal si empleyado during the middle of the year ay wala ng 13th-month pay,” he said.
Evangelista said that based on Presidential Decree 851, all employers are required to pay their employees a 13th-month pay upon separation of the covered worker.
“Ang sinasabi ni PD 851, upon separation ng isang covered worker ay kasamang ibibigay sa kanya ‘yong kanyang 13th-month pay. Basta ang condition lang dyan ay naka-isang buwan siyang nagtrabaho within that particular year,” he added.
As soon as the reports are submitted, DOLE will validate computations from the submitted reports.
