Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has filed a bill seeking to mandate the grant of 14th-month pay to private sector employees, aiming to cushion the blow of soaring living expenses.
Sotto said the proposal is anchored on helping Filipino families cope with educational and household costs, stressing that the current 13th-month pay law is already outdated.
He recalled that Presidential Decree 851, which requires all employers to provide a 13th-month pay, was enacted back in 1976.
“After almost five decades, the needs and cost of living of every Filipino worker have drastically changed, thus it is high time that employees in the private sector receive their 14th month pay,” Sotto said.
Under the bill:
- The 13th-month pay must be released on or before June 14 to help workers with school-related expenses.
- The 14th-month pay must be released on or before December 24 to aid families in holiday and year-end spending.
If passed into law, the measure would institutionalize a double midyear and year-end financial boost for private sector employees.