Senatorial aspirant Pia S. Cayetano on Wednesday (May 1) welcomed the full implementation of the 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave (EML) Law, following the signing of the measure’s Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) on May 1, Labor Day.
The principal author and sponsor of Republic Act No. 11210 or the EML Law, Cayetano attended the Ceremonial Signing of the IRR in San Fernando, Pampanga, where she talked about the vital role of women as mothers and as members of the country’s workforce.
“Women play a dual role in our society, hindi lang trabaho sa opisina kundi trabaho sa bahay at pag-aalaga ng pamilya. Therefore, being a mother is something that we need to compensate,” the congresswoman stressed.
The ceremonial signing was part of the 117th Labor Day Celebration spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), with the theme “Pagpupugay sa Manggagawang Pilipino.”
“Magandang balita ito dahil ibig sabihin ay tuloy na tuloy na and ready to be implemented ang Expanded Maternity Leave Law. This is a great gift to working mothers this Labor Day,” Cayetano said.
On the other hand, the Taguig representative clarified that the law’s effectivity already started as early as March, 15 days following its publication in the Official Gazette.
“The good news is, hindi lang May 1 ang effectivity kung hindi noong March pa. Kaya sa lahat po ng mga nanay na nanganak simula noon, 105 days na ang maternity leave credits niyo,” Cayetano explained.
A known women’s advocate, Cayetano had been fighting for the law’s passage since her term in the Senate.
She believes that working mothers should be allowed more than 60 days to recover from childbirth and also to take care of their newborn babies.
“Women who are given enough time to take care of their families are also more likely to be productive at work. Kaya ibigay na natin sa mga working mothers ang 105 days maternity leave para pagbalik nila ay mas makapag-focus sila sa trabaho,” she noted.#
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