Sugar workers’ maternity, death benefits increased

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has increased the maternity and death benefits for workers in the sugar industry.

This developed after Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello recently signed Department Order 236, increasing the workers’ maternity benefit from P5,000 to P8,000.

The same order adjusted the death benefit that can be availed of by the workers’ dependents from P10,000 to P14,000.

“Cognizant of the continued increase in the prices of commodities and services such as hospital, pre- and post-natal delivery as well as burial and funeral fees, the new amounts provided under the Sugar Workers’ Maternity and Death Benefit Program will take effect immediately,” Bello said yesterday.

Only childbirth including pregnancies and stillbirths as well as deaths that occurred from the date of the effectivity of the order will be covered by the adjustment, he said.

The new amounts, Bello said, would be subject to the availability of funds and charged against the unutilized balance, collection and remittances allocated for the implementation of the program.

Bello said the condition and requirement indicated in the previous DOLE order should be used as basis for the availment of the maternity and death benefits.