PHILIPPINES— A bill filed at the House of Representatives seeks to increase the number of days that the law grants for paternity leave.
House Bill (HB) 4430, filed on September 5 last year by Quezon City Fourth District Rep. Marvin Rillo, will increase the period of paternity leave with pay from seven days to 30 days.
It also expands the coverage of the Paternity Leave Act (Republic Act 8187) to include “unmarried fathers who cohabit with the mother without legal impediment to marry.”
RA 11210, or the “Expanded Maternity Leave Law,” allows female workers to allocate up to seven days of their maternity leave benefits to the child’s father, whether or not he is married to her.
Under HB 4430, a child’s father who is legally married to and cohabiting with the mother, is entitled to seven days paternity leave.
Under Section 2 of RA 8187, a male employee is entitled to a paternity leave of seven working days with full pay for the first four deliveries “of the legitimate spouse with whom he is cohabiting.”
