BY ARGYLL GEDUCOS
Malacañang said it will look into the possibility of subsidizing the 13th-month pay of employees from micro and small enterprises (MSEs) as some companies continue to struggle due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Friday that the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) may need up to P13.7 billion to subsidize the 13th month pay of MSE workers.
In an interview with Super Radyo DZBB, Roque said that they will talk to the Departments of Budget and Management (DBM) and Finance (DoF) to see if the government will be able to shoulder the MSE workers’ benefit.
“Aalamin ko po muna, hindi pa ako makaka-commit hanggang hindi ko pa nakakausap ang parehong DBM at Department of Finance,” he said Saturday.
According to Roque, President Duterte was asking when workers can receive their 13th month pay during their first full Cabinet meeting during the pandemic last Monday.
He added that Malacañang understands the plight of MSEs.
Bello said Friday that there are 1.5 million workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic while data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows that about 5.1 million workers were affected.
Duterte has yet to approve the subsidy for MSE workers. However, if this pushes through, Bello said that medium enterprises will not likely qualify for the cash aid.
Bello had floated the idea of exempting or deferring the payment of 13th-month pay for “distressed” businesses but Malacañang said the giving of this benefit cannot be deferred as it is mandated by law.
Last Friday, DoLE released its guidelines on the payment of the 13th-month pay, saying it will not accept any request for exemption or deferment. It added that employers should give workers their 13th-month pay by Dec. 24 this year.
