2 congressmen push for extended paternity leave

MANILA, Philippines - If mothers can have it, why can’t fathers, too? 

At least two administration members of the House of Representatives are pushing for the extension of the one-week paternity leave to 15 days, following the Senate’s approval early this month of the maternity leave with pay of 120 to 150 days.

Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas’ House Bill 5353 seeks to amend Republic Act 8187 (Paternity Leave Act of 1996) and grant paternity leave to all married male employees, regardless of the nature of employment, by lengthening their paid leave period from seven days to 15 days. 

“Fathers who take paternity leave are more likely to take an active role in child-care tasks, therefore, establishing strong relationships with their children and inciting active involvement in their lives,” Vargas said. 

“Also, the early father-child interaction has long-term benefits for a child’s learning abilities,” he stressed.

Vargas also pointed out that employers will also benefit in providing their workers with a paternity leave policy. 

“Amending the Paternity Leave Act will ensure that every Filipino family reaps all these benefits,” Vargas said. “Such policies help companies attract the best and the brightest people to their human resource.” 

HB 5353 also gives eligible employees an option to extend their paternity leave to 15 days more, without pay. It also includes a provision that the leave shall not be deducted from the employee’s annual leave credits. 

“The Paternity Leave Act was enacted by Congress in recognition of the husband’s role in providing care for his wife before, during and after the birth of their child. However, the law is still inadequate in addressing the necessities of the Filipino family,” Vargas lamented. 

Another lawmaker, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, proposed a similar amendment. The Mindanao legislator filed House Bill 3401, which seeks to raise to 15 days the existing seven-day paternity leave benefit payable to every working husband for each of the first four childbirths of his lawful wife, with whom he lives. 

Pimentel invoked the 1987 Constitution in seeking the measure’s immediate passage, “for the State to promote the welfare of labor, to solidify the family, and to provide improved quality of life for all.” 

“We have to give fathers at least half a month off work, with full pay, for them to be able to lend ample support to their wives in nursing their newborns, and to help mothers recuperate from childbirth,” he said. 

Pimentel, a member of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation Inc., also cited studies showing that husbands who took longer paternity leaves “were more involved with their children and child-care activities,” thus reinforcing the long-term bond between father and child.

“There’s no question an extended paternity leave with full pay would go a long way in restoring the family’s overall work-life balance,” Pimentel said.