House bill seeks calamity pay for workers reporting amid disasters, extreme weather

A bill filed in the House of Representatives seeks to institutionalize calamity pay for workers required to report for work despite disasters or extreme weather conditions.

TRABAHO Party-List Representative Johanne Bautista filed House Bill No. 4435, or the Calamity Pay Law, which seeks to mandate an additional 30% calamity premium on top of the regular wages of public and private sector employees.

In a press release issued Sunday, TRABAHO Party-List said the bill has gained strong public resonance online, particularly following weeks of continuous heavy rains.

“Daily commuters shared their ordeals of surviving through deep floodwaters and enduring severe weather brought by the combined effects of the enhanced Habagat and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay, and Neneng just to avoid pay deductions or employer sanctions,” TRABAHO Party-List said.

“…The TRABAHO Party-List maintained that establishing a statutory calamity pay standard is long overdue in a disaster-prone country like the Philippines,” it added.

Under the bill, calamity premium pay would be mandated when an area meets any of the following conditions:

• placed under an official state of calamity declaration;
• placed under at least Typhoon Signal No. 3 or a Red Rainfall Warning;
• subjected to government-mandated work suspensions; or
• declared severely affected by calamities such as earthquakes and floods.

The bill, however, exempts workers whose regular duties inherently involve calamity and emergency response, as well as retail and service establishments that regularly employ fewer than 10 workers.

The measure also provides safeguards to protect workers from disciplinary action and diminution of pay.

To ensure compliance, HB 4435 imposes the following sanctions:

• a fine of up to P100,000;
• imprisonment of six months to one year for responsible corporate officers; and
• non-renewal of local business permits for noncompliant employers.

Bautista, who chairs the House Committee on Social Services, described the bill as an act of social justice and compassion for the sacrifices of Filipino workers.

As of Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said more than six million people had been affected by the combined effects of the Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat, and recent tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay, and Neneng.— MCG, GMA News