Husbands can benefit from expanded maternity leave law —Bello

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Wednesday said even husbands can benefit from the expanded maternity leave law that was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in February.

The law — the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of which are expected to be released within the day — grants additional maternity leave benefits to all female workers regardless of her civil status or legitimacy of her child.

From 60 days, working women will now have 105 days of maternity leave with full pay and the option to extend for another 30 days without pay while solo mothers will get 15 days of additional leave.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Bello said under the new law, the wife can pass up to 15 days of her leave to her husband so that he could attend to her.

"Yung babaeng nanganak, kung gusto niyang makasama yung asawa niya, puwede niyang bigyan ng 15 days," Bello said.

Unwed mothers, meanwhile, can share up to 15 days to a working relative, Bello said.

Bello, during the same interview, urged employers not to discriminate, noting that it is punishable by the law, specifically the Anti-Gender Discrimination Law.

"We should be conscious of the health of our workers. Kung makakabuti sa babaeng manggagawa na magkakaroon siya ng 105 days na maternity then by all means give her para gaganda kanyang kalusugan," he said.

Bello said employers should look at an applicant's competency and integrity and not his or her gender. —KBK, GMA News