What's Up With Philhealth?

A quick look at my posts from last year shows that a lot of people read my article about the issue with Philhealth last year not being able to pay the hospitals their due, subsequently resulting with hospitals threatening not to honor Philhealth deduction from their medical bills.

I am glad to be able to say that this has been resolved. In fact, I was even able to use my benefits when I gave birth last October 2014!

Since then, there hasn't been any major news for Philhealth, with everybody else focusing on tanim-bala modus, the upcoming elections and the never ending traffic here in the metro. But why should we join Philhealth anyway? Let me give you a few reasons why I think we should never forget to contribute to Philhealth:

1. It serves as your emergency hospitalization fund.

Yes, I know the amount subsidized by Philhealth is not very high. But for me, every single peso saved is worthwhile. You can be paying as high as Php5,520.00 per year for your contributions, or as low as Php1,200.00 - but look at what you can get in hospitalization benefits!

Philhealth has put up a search engine on their website where you can check how much your hospital deductions could be. You can check it out at this link. It's not very easy to use, but at least it's a start! I made a sample search for cancer, and I came out with up to Php32,000 in benefits from hospitalization fees to professional fees.

2. Philhealth covers a wide range of ailments

For a list of Philhealth's coverage, you can check out their summary list here. There's quite a lot of it, and majority of it is related to hospitalization, but that's what Philhealth is for. Philhealth was established to provide medical insurance for its members.

3. You can't benefit from an HMO membership (health maintenance organization) without beign a member of Philhealth.

Many companies nowadays provide membership to HMOs as additional medical support for their employees. However, many of these organizations stipulate that their benefits may only be availed after benefits for Philhealth has been exhausted. They also charge fees if their member is not a Philhealth member.

4. Contributing to Philhealth helps support our senior citizens medical needs.

Senior citizens can register for lifetime membership with Philhealth, and they get the same benefits as regular members, without having to pay the premium.

This may sound unfair to us paying young'uns, but this is a very big help for the older generation. It's also a big help to us who help support our elders. Like I said in #1, I believe every peso saved is worthwhile!

Do you have other reasons for contributing to Philhealth? Feel free to share with us your reasons and encourage everybody to join Philhealth!

List of Philippine Holidays for 2016

I'm back!

I've been gone for a long time from blogging, but my desire to continue sharing information still burns bright! 

So here's a nice infographic made by Rappler summarizing the list of holidays for the incoming year:

I always love the official infographics released by the government, but I haven't found the official one for 2016 yet.

Not included in the list, though are the 2 nationwide muslim holidays. As of this time, we may expect them around these dates:

Eid'l Fit'r - July 8, 2016

Eid'l Ad'ha - September 13, 2016

Time to start planning those vacation leaves! There's not as many long weekends this coming year, but here's a run-down of all of them, assuming your rest day is on a Sunday and no leaves are filed:

For those with 5 day work week

1. February 6 - 8 (3 days) Chinese New Year

2. March 24 - 27 (4 days) Holy Week

3. July 8 - 10 (3 days) Eid'l Fit'r (tentative)

4. August 27 - 29 (3 days) National Heroes Day

5. October 29 - November 1 (4 days) All Saint's Day

6. December 30 - January 1 (3 days) New Year

For those with 6 day work week

1. February 7 - 8 (2 days) Chinese New Year 

2. March 24 - 27 (4 days) Holy Week

3. April 9 - 10 (2 days) Araw ng Kagitingan

4. August 28 - 29 (2 days) National Heroes Day

5. October 30 - November 1 (3 days) All Saint's Day

6. December 24 - 25 (2 days) Christmas Day
7. December 30 - January 1 (3 days) New Year

Philhealth Members To Pay Full Cost Of Their Bills In Private Hospitals

Manila Bulletin has released news that the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI) plans to make Philhealth members pay their full hospital bills. Private hospitals will no longer remove the philhealth subsidized portion from the medical bills before the computation of the total fees for payment. This decision has been caused by Philhealth's delay in paying the hospitals their dues.

The current process should be as follows:
1. Member informs the hospital that he is a Philhealth member.

2. The hospital provides the member with a philhealth form to fill out and submit to the hospital records.

3. The hospital's billing department will compute the total costs of all medical expenses and subtract the Philhealth subsidy form the member's bill. The member will only have to pay for the amount not subsidized by Philhealth and his other medical insurances.

If PHAPI's plan pushes through, the process will probably be as follows:
1. The hospital's billing department will subtract only the costs from non-Philhealth medical insurances of the member (such as HMO, or medical insurance).

At this point, I am not sure if the hospital will indicate how much the Philhealth subsidized portion should be, for easy reference of the member and his medical insurance(s).

2. The member must keep the hospital receipts and medical abstracts and other pertinent documents during his confinement. These should be attached to a filled out Philhealth claim form to be submitted to the Philhealth office for reimbursement of the subsidized portion.

3. The member has to file the request for reimbursement with Philhealth and wait for Philhealth to approve his request and give him his money.

This change in process is a lot of bad news for our countrymen for several reasons:
1. Philhealth members must have the money to pay for their hospital bills at the time of their hospitalization. Not everyone has enough money to be able to handle emergency expenses. I can predict a rise in the business of loans and more of us falling into debt because of unexpected medical emergencies.

2. Philhealth members will have to suffer through the beaureaucracy of additional paperwork, and slow processing of reimbursement. I have one testimony from a close friend where this process has already been implemented last march, and Philhealth has promised them a one month timeline for the reimbursement. To this day, they have not yet received their reimbursement.

Also, the fact that you have to take a day off work to submit your papers to Philhealth for a reimbursement would be a big concern. Not everybody can afford to lose a day's worth of pay, or even a day's worth of workload, just to be able to file reimbursement requests.

3. This will cause even higher congestion at public hospitals where, I assume, the Philhealth subsidy will be honored prior to the payment of the final bill.

At the end of it all, it's the common man that suffers because of inefficiencies in the system. I can only cross my fingers and hope that our government looks into this issue and addresses it quickly. In the current process, only Philhealth wins because they get away with not paying their hospitals on time, but the citizens still get the quality healthcare that they deserve. In the new process, we citizens lose on all counts because we may not even get the treatments for our ailments, we may end up in debt, and we also have to start fighting a battle for our financial compensation. The private hospitals wouldn't worry abotu us because they would get paid anyway, and Philhealth may simply twiddle their thumbs.

Official Proclamation for Eid'l Fit'r 2012 Released

The official proclamation of August 20, 2012 as a regular non-working holiday across the Philippines in celebration of the muslim holiday Eid'l Fit'r has been released by the Palace. Below is a transcription of the actual proclamation:

Proclamation No. 455, s. 2012

MALACAÑAN PALACEMANILA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROCLAMATION NO. 455

DECLARING MONDAY, 20 AUGUST 2012, AS A REGULAR HOLIDAY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IN OBSERVANCE OF EID’L FITR (FEAST OF RAMADHAN)

WHEREAS, Republic Act No 9177 declared Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadhan) as a regular holiday throughout the country;

WHEREAS, Eid’l Fitr is celebrated by the Muslim World for three (3) days after the end of the month of fasting;

WHEREAS, to promote cultural understanding and integration, the entire Filipino nation should have the full opportunity to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in the observance and celebration of Eid’l Fitr; and

WHEREAS, in order to bring the religious and cultural significance of the Eid’l Fitr to the fore of national consciousness, it is necessary to declare Monday, 20 August 2012, as a regular holiday throughout the country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare Monday. 20 August 2012, as a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadhan).

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

Done in the City of Manila, this 13th day of August, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twelve.

(Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III

By the President:
(Sgd.) PAQUITO N. OCHOA, JR.
Executive Secretary

source: http://www.gov.ph/2012/08/13/proclamation-no-455-s-2012/

DOLE issues Q&A on payment of wages due to suspension of work in private sector on 7 August

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday issued guidelines on the payment of wages due to the suspension of work in the private sector on August 7, pursuant to Memorandum Circular No. 33-A, Series of 2012 issued by the Office of the President, declaring work suspension in all offices in the private sector in the National Capital Region (NCR), and in the provinces of Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal on August 7, 2012 in the view of the continuing inclement weather brought about by southwest monsoon (Habagat).

The Q&A consists of 11 questions that might be of concern to workers or employers.

It answers concerns such as how to compute the premium pay of 30 percent for employees who worked on that day, particularly those who worked in shifts.

To request for a copy of the Q&A, please e-mail the Labor Communications Office at laborcommunications@gmail.com, or call 5273446.

1. What is Memorandum Circular No. 33-A?

Answer: Memorandum Circular No. 33-A is a Presidential issuance declaring work suspension in all offices in the private sector in the National Capital Region, and in the provinces of Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal.

2. What is the period covered by MC 33-A?

Answer: The work suspension covers only the 24-hour period from 12:01 A.M. of 7 August 2012 to 12:00 M.N. of the same day.

3. If an employee did not report to work on 7 August 2012, is he or she entitled to be paid his/her wage?

Answer: No. In this instance, the principle of “no work, no pay” applies. However, an employee can avail of his or her accrued leave credits, or be covered by a favorable company policy and practice, or by collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment of wages during calamities or emergencies.

4. May an employer require his employees to report for work on 7 August 2012 despite the suspension of work pursuant to MC 33-A?

Answer: Yes, but under the following conditions: (a) the employer should ensure the safety of the employee in going to and from work, like the provision of free transportation, personal protective equipment, first aid medicine, etc. and (b) payment of 30% premium pay.

5. How is the premium pay computed when an employee is suffered or required to work on 7 August 2012?

Answer: The 30% premium pay is computed as follows:

     (a) For normal 8-hour work, usually rendered from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

             Sample Computation (Using NCR minimum wage rate):

             Applicable daily rate = (Basic Pay x 130%) + COLA, if applicable

             = (P426 x 1.3) + P20

             = P553.80 + P20

             = P573.80

     (b) For shift work rendered from 10:00 P.M. of 6 August 2012 to 7:00 A.M. of 7 August 2012

For work rendered from 10:00 P.M. to 12:00 M.N. of 6 August 2012, the regular hourly rate (basic pay + 10% night shift differential) plus COLA, if applicable

For work rendered from 12:01 A.M. to 7:00 A.M. of 7 August 2012, the regular hourly rate (basic pay + 10% night shift differential until 6 A.M. + 30% premium pay) plus COLA, if applicable

     (c) For shift work rendered from 10:00 P.M. of 7 August 2012 to 7:00 A.M. of 8 August 2012

For work rendered from 10 PM to 12:00 midnight of August 7, 2012, the regular hourly rate (basic pay + 10% night shift differential until 6 AM + 30% premium pay) plus COLA, if applicable

For work rendered from 12:01 A.M. to 7:00 A.M. of August 8, 2012, the regular hourly rate (basic pay + 10% night shift differential) plus COLA, if applicable

6. If the employee is permitted or suffered to work for less than the normal 8-hour work on 7 August 2012, is the employer required to pay the employee the 30% premium pay?

Answer: Yes. The employer should pay the 30% premium pay based on the actual work hours rendered.

               Sample computation: 4 hours of work rendered (Using NCR minimum wage rate):

                Applicable daily rate = (Basic Pay x 130%) divided by 8 hours x 4 hours + COLA, if applicable

                = (P426 x 1.3) divided by 8 hours x 4 hours + COLA

                = P276.90 + P20

                = P296.90

7. If the employer requires his employee to work in excess of 8 hours on 7 August 2012, how much should the employer pay his employee?

Answer: The employer should pay the 30% overtime premium pay in addition to the regular wage and 30% premium pay.

8. What is the compensation of an employee whose work shift started from 8:00 A.M. of 7 August 2012, but was suspended, for example, at 10:00 A.M. of the same day?

Answer: The employee shall be entitled to the following:

For work rendered from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M., the hourly rate shall be based on the regular wage plus 30% additional pay based on the basic pay; and

For the unworked period (10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.), the principle of “no work, no pay” applies. But the employee can avail of his/her accrued leave credits, or be covered by a favorable company policy and practice, or by collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment of wages during calamities or emergencies.

9. Who are covered by the premium pay?

Answer: The premium pay benefit applies to all employees, except managerial employees, officers or members of a managerial staff, house helpers, workers who are paid by results, and field personnel.

10. May an employee be disciplinarily sanctioned for failing to report to work?

Answer: No, provided he/she has advised the employer of his/her inability to report for work.

11. If the employer requires or suffers his/her employee to work at home based on agreed output or standards, is the latter entitled to the 30% premium pay ?

Answer: Yes.

April 7, 2012 (Black Saturday) officially declared as a non workingholiday

Last March 29, a proclamation declaring April 7, Black Saturday, as an official non working holiday was signed by Malacanang.

A copy of the proclamation can be found at this link:
http://www.gov.ph/downloads/2012/03mar/20120329-PROC-0360-BSA.pdf

Philippine Holidays for 2012

The official list of Philippine holidays have been released:

Regular Holidays

• January 1 - New Year's Day


• April 5 - Maundy Thursday


• April 6 - Good Friday


• April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan


• May 1 - Labor Day


• June 12 - Independence Day


• August 27 - National Heroes Day


• November 30 - Bonifacio Day


• December 25 - Christmas Day


• December 30 - Rizal Day

Special Holidays

• January 23 - Chinese New Year


• August 21 - Ninoy Aquino Day


• November 1 - All Saints Day


• November 2 - Additional Special Non-working Day


• December 31 - Last Day of the Year


• TBA - Eid'l Adha (according to Muslim Calendar)

School Only Holidays

• February 25 - EDSA Revolution Anniversary

Not mentioned in the proclamation are the following holidays, which are traditionally declared by the government as additional holidays during the course of the year. These are the additional proclamations that may be expected in the coming year:

• Black Saturday - April 7


• Eid'l Fit'r - as declared by OMA

Employees who work on a regular holiday are entitled to 200% daily wage pay, and those who work on Special holidays are entitled to 130% daily wage pay. For minimum wage workers, this would be equivalent to Php808.00 for Regular Holidays and PHp525.20 for Special Holidays.

However, daily-paid workers who are not required to work on these days are not entitled to any wages for this day.

source: PROC-0295 - 2012 Philippine Holidays for the Year 2012

New Case Rate Packages from PhilHealth

source: Philhealth

NEW case rate packages for selected medical conditions and surgical procedures will soon be available in institutional health care facilities accredited by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

According to PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Rey B. Aquino, "the shift from fee-for-service to case rates for these medical and surgical cases was prompted by developments taking place in the health care industry, most notable of which is the need to provide optimal financial risk protection especially to the most vulnerable groups, including the poorest of the poor." He added that better member appreciation and faster reimbursement of fees to health care providers were also among the major considerations for introducing this new type of provider payment scheme.

The use of case rates is an internationally accepted payment mechanism that serves to package payment for health interventions. Through this mechanism, members will be able to predict how much PhilHealth will be paying for each of the services provided. "Gone are the days when we could not even give a definite amount of benefits for each of these common medical conditions and surgical procedures," Aquino said, adding that "...now, the member is empowered with just the right amount of information he needs for a particular disease or illness."

Among the medical cases and the corresponding package rates are Dengue I (P8,000.00), Dengue II (P16,000.00), Pneumonia I (P15,000.00), Pneumonia II (P32,000.00), Essential Hypertension (P9,000.00), Cerebral Infarction (CVA I, P28,000.00), Cerebro-vascular Accident with Hemorrhage (CVA II, P38,000.00), Acute Gastroenteritis (P6,000.00), Asthma (P9,000.00), Typhoid Fever (P14,000.00), and Newborn Care Package in Hospitals and Lying-in clinics (P1,750.00).

On the other hand, the surgical procedures include Radiotherapy (P3,000.00 per session), Hemodialysis (P4,000.00 per session), Maternity Care Package (MCP, P8,000.00) coupled with the Normal Spontaneous Delivery (NSD) Package in Level 1 (P8,000.00) and Levels 2-4 hospitals (P6,500.00), Caesarian Section (P19,000.00), Appendectomy (P24,000.00), Cholecystectomy (P31,000.00), Dilatation and Curettage (P11,000.00), Thyroidectomy (P31,000.00), Herniorrhaphy (P21,000.00), Mastectomy (P22,000.00), Hysterectomy (P30,000.00) and Cataract Surgery (P16,000.00).

Aquino said the new case rate packages are available for all member-types admitted in any of the accredited institutional health care providers nationwide starting September 1. He, however, emphasized that "...for our Sponsored Program members who are admitted in government hospitals, the "No Balance Billing" (NBB) policy applies, meaning no other fees nor expenses shall be charged to or paid for by the patient-member above and beyond the package rate."

The NBB policy shall also apply to any other member type such as the employed, individually paying and overseas workers, who will avail themselves of the MCP and NCP in all accredited MCP non-hospital providers such as maternity clinics, and birthing homes.

"This policy was approved after a series of consultations with concerned medical societies and other institutional partners. These conditions and procedures were also among the top 49 percent of total claims we paid for over the previous years," the PhilHealth Chief noted. With all of these packages in place, the government agency needs about P3 billion for the next six to 12 months once members start availing themselves of the packages early next month.

PERA Tax Rules Ready

by: Diane Claire J. Jiao

source: Business World

TAX RULES needed to implement the much-awaited Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) scheme have been submitted to the Finance department and are pending approval.
The proposed revenue regulations, among others, set stringent guidelines for tax credit certificates (TCCs) that will be granted to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to ensure that these are not used fraudulently.
“We submitted the PERA Revenue Regulations [last week] to the DoF (Department of Finance,” Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares said on Friday.
Finance officials were not immediately available for comment as to when, or if, the BIR’s tax rules would be issued.
The PERA Act or Republic Act 9505 was signed into law in 2008 and its implementing rules were issued the following year by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The law, however, has not been implemented up to now given the absence of BIR tax rules.
A stumbling block was the issuance of tax credits to OFWs that could be difficult to monitor for the bureau, Ms. Henares explained.
“We were focused on making safeguards regarding the use of TCCs,” she said.
One of these is the printing of the tax credits on a special security paper so that the documents cannot be copied and counterfeited, Ms. Henares said.
Migrant Filipinos will also have to apply for a tax debit memo when they use their TCCs, stating how much of the tax credits will be claimed and for what tax obligation.
The BIR will also establish internal records of TCC recipients, Ms. Henares said.
“This will ensure that only those who are qualified for the TCCs will get to enjoy it,” she noted.
This was also suggested by Tammy H. Lipana, chairperson of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s tax committee.
“There should be a registry of the TCCs issued, whether directly to OFWs or coursed through the embassies to OFWs,” Ms. Lipana said in a telephone interview on Friday.
“The tax debit memos also ensure that the BIR still gets to approve how the TCCs can be used,” she added.

INVESTMENT ALTERNATIVE
The PERA Act provides Filipinos with an alternative means of planning their retirement, allowing the establishment of accounts where they can contribute a maximum of P100,000 per year. Those working abroad have been provided a higher annual cap of P200,000. Five PERAs can be maintained at any one time but the annual contributions must not exceed the set limits.
PERA investment and reinvestment income will be exempted from a slew of taxes such as the 20% final withholding tax on bank deposits, 10% tax on cash or property dividends and the stock transaction tax on shares traded through the stock exchange.
A tax credit equivalent to 5% of all PERA contributions will also be granted to account holders. OFWs will receive TCCs which they can use to pay their internal revenue taxes. Resident Filipinos, meanwhile, will just get a BIR certification that will be used by employers to adjust taxes on their income.
The PERA Act is expected to attract an estimated eight million Filipinos, especially OFWs and self-employed individuals who are not required to contribute to the Social Security System and theGovernment Service Insurance System.
“The implementation of the PERA act is very much anticipated. Right now, when you save up for your retirement, there are no tax benefits with it,” Ms. Lipana said.
A possible sticking point, though, is that OFWs may not have any use for their TCCs since they are exempted from income taxes under the law, she pointed out.
The BIR’s Ms. Henares, however, said OFWs could have other tax liabilities.
“If they have real estate [assets and they sell this], that is subject to capital gains tax. If they have sidelines and other businesses here in the Philippines, that is subject to income tax,” she responded.
“Also, if the OFWs return to the Philippines to work here, they will have to pay income tax already. They will be able to use their TCCs then,” Ms. Henares added.

Long Holiday Weekend In August

Inquirer reports that Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte has revealed in a radio interview that The National Heroes Day holiday has been moved to August 29, and that Eid'l Fit'r has been confirmed as an official holiday on August 30.

This would mark one of the very few long weekends for the year 2011 which will affect those who have 6-day work weeks. For the month of August, however, a second long holiday is available of the weekend of August 19 for those working in Quezon City to celebrate Quezon City day.

 

New Holiday for 2011 & Php22 COLA granted to all minimum wage workers

HR Online has been down for the past few months due to technical problems, but we are now back up and running with two of the hottest news for us working citizens!

First off is the new holiday. Originally a regional holiday for the city of Calamba, the birthday of national hero, Jose Rizal, has been turned into a nationwide holiday and moved to June 20, 2011.  This adds one long weekend the the sparse count of long weekends for the year - with most of the holidays falling on sundays.

June is a great time to catch some last minute summer fun - right before the monsoon season hits the country. A copy of the proclamation can be found at the Official Gazette, the Philippine Government's official website.

The second news is the approved Php22 cost of living allowance (COLA) granted to all minimum wage workers. There are many mixed reactions regarding this announcement, with the trade unions mostly contesting the price and mechanics of the granted allowance.  DOLE reasoned out that this adjustment was put under COLA because it is the win-win situation for both employees and employers - granting a monetary increase to the minimum wage without adding extra burden to the financial constraints of employers. Whether or not the Php22 daily increase can help the employed sector deal with rising inflation prices is the point that trade unions are contesting the the moment.

For those who are not aware,  increasing the minimum wage adds to the financial burdens of employers because it is not only the salaries that they pay the employees that get changed. With increases in minimum wage, an employee's gross monthly wages also changes and may put them in higher salary brackets for their government benefits (SSS, philhealth and PAG-IBIG). In addition, higher wages also means higher payouts for companies who grant paid or cash-convertible leaves, 13th month pay and retirement benefits.

Only those who are minimum wage earners are entitled to receive the additional Php22 allowance. However, there is no rule restricting companies from granting the same benefit to their above-minimum wage workers. The allowance in non-taxable and amounts to Php478 - 573 additional income per month for employees who work 5-6 days a week.

The new minimum wage table can be found at the National Wage and Productivity Commission (NWPC) website.

New Taxi Flagdown Rate

Even with the improvements in transportation and traffic done over the years, we are still highly reliant on the use of taxis. So news of the new approved taxi flagdown rate is causing a buzz online.

Last December 30, news came out that the LTFRB has approved an increase in the taxi flagdown rate from Php30.00 to Php40.00, and a per 300meters charge of Php3.50.

The estimated implementation date for this is around January 15th. Last December, DOTC released a hotline to report abusive taxi drivers who reject would-be passengers based on their location or for whatever reason. The text hotline numbers were Globe 0917-2470-385 and Smart 0919-2227-462, and reporting is done by sending the body number and plate number of the taxi. Perhaps we can also use this to report abusive taxi drivers using the new flagdown rate  before implementation?

Holidays for 2011

I'm several weeks late in posting this, but any employee must always keep tabs of what the holidays are. This enables you to plan vacation leaves better, which goes hand in hand with time management. Also, for those who cannot control their work days, it will keep you aware of your holiday pay benefits.

A. Regular Holidays

New Year’s Day – January 1 (Saturday)

Araw ng Kagitingan – April 9 (Saturday)

Maundy Thursday – April 21

Good Friday – April 22

Labor Day – May 1 (Sunday)

Independence Day – June 12 (Sunday)

National Heroes Day – August 29 (Last Monday of August)

Bonifacio Day – November 30 (Wednesday)

Christmas Day – December 25 (Sunday)

Rizal Day – December 30 (Friday)

B. Special (Non-Working) Days

Ninoy Aquino Day – August 21 (Sunday)

All Saints Day – November 1 (Tuesday)

Last Day of the Year – December 31 (Saturday)

C. Special Holiday (for all schools)

EDSA Revolution Anniversary – February 25 (Friday)

Same as in the previous years, the official dates for the muslim holidays Eid'l Fit'r and Eid'l Adha will be announced after The Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA) has forwarded the official dates for these holidays t the Office of the President. Likewise, we will have to wait to determine if these dates will be considered as working holidays for Metro Manila and non-muslim sectors, or as non-working holidays as done in 2010.

Palace: November 2 a regular working day

Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/star/20101026/tph-palace-november-a-regular-working-da-541dfb4.html

MANILA, Philippines – November 2 will be a regular working day, according to a Malacañang official.

Speaking to reporters this morning at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, Executive Secretary Paquito "Jojo" Ochoa said President Aquino has not signed any proclamation declaring November 2 as a special non-working holiday.

Ochoa was at the NAIA to send Mr. Aquino off to Vietnam where he is set to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. - (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

October 25 Barangay Elections Is a Special Non-working Holiday

source: GMA News

A Palace official said October 25, the day of the nationwide barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, has been declared a non-working holiday under Proclamation Number 48.

Secretary Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning made the announcement on Thursday at the La Consolacion College in Manila, where President Benigno Aquino III delivered a report on his first 100 days in office.

"It is imperative that the people be given the fullest opportunity to participate in the said elections and exercise their right to vote," Proclamation No. 48 read.

Proclamation No. 48 was signed October 6 by Executive Secretary Paquito "Jojo" Ochoa Jr.

On October 25, voters will elect:

one barangay chairman;

one SK chairman;

seven Sangguniang Barangay members, and

seven SK members.

Around 672,400 elective posts in 42,025 barangays are expected to be filled after the local polls.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) earlier reminded voters that a total of 4,433 outgoing barangay captains are already on their third or fourth terms, and are thus barred from vying for the same post in the upcoming elections.

The filing of certificates of candidacy started Friday last week and will go on until October 13.

Security during the elections

On September 24, the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines re-activated the task force that will ensure a peaceful and orderly elections.

Called Task Force Honest, Orderly, and Peaceful Elections (Task Force HOPE-2010 Bravo), the joint task force will focus on about 2,300 areas on their watchlist and some 107 private armed groups in the country.

A natioinwide gunban took effect on September 25 and will last until November 10, or 15 days after the synchronized barangay and SK elections.

The ban includes the automatic suspension of all permit to carry firearms outside of residences.

Only authorized law enforcemers on duty and in proper police uniform will be allowed to carry firearms. – With Jam Sisante, VVP, GMANews.TV

Official Proclamation for the Php22.00 Minimum Wage Increase for NCR

The official proclamation for the 2010 minimum wage increase has been published last June 18, 2010. The wage order will take effect on July 1, 2010.

The minimum wage increase does not include family drivers, household help, persons in the personal service of another and employees of Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBEs). There are other exemptions listed in the wage order exempting certain types of establishments from the mandated wage increase.

Specifically noted in the wage order were the exemption of employees who received increases granted to employees within 3-5 months of the effectivity of the wage order. This exemption depends on certain qualifying factors listed in the wage order.

Despite all these exemptions and complaints about the inadequacy of the wage increase to sustain the current living needs of filipino citizens, this new wage increase gives private sector employees approximately Php500-600 additional income per month. Coupled with overtime pay and other premiums, Sec. Andres of the RTWPB-National Capital Region (NCR) estimates that employees would be receiving Php533.00 per day.

New Law Professionalizes Psychologists

This news has already been circulating for sometime now, and, finally, the law has been passed. News reports came out around March 24 stating that the law will be in effect 15 days after it is published.

Based on discussions of HR professionals in their private channels, a regulatory board will still be created to help administer this new law. The regulatory board will also be in charge of creating the implementing rules and regulations which will guide all practitioners in how to acquire their license.

This is a good step forward towards making the effort of millions of psychology practitioners legitimate, and hopefully for international recognition of our psychology graduates as well.

For those who are interested in seeing the full wording of this law, you may read it at The Law-Phil Project.

Text the MMDA Text Hotlines!

MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando recently launched the new text hotlines for commuters.  If we ever encounter an abusive driver, such as overcharging taxi drivers, or drivers who steal your luggage, we can text the MMDA Metrobase. The numbers are:

Globe - +639175618709

Smart - +639209472116

This will be stored for viewing of LTO and other agencies when it comes time for registration of their licenses. Hopefully, these agencies will actually make a move to request for this data, or else this will be another useless project of the government.

PAG-IBIG Overseas Program

With the governments efforts in talking to other countries to generate more jobs for us, and the resurging of international jobs, going overseas is once again a viable option for a lot of skilled filipinos. PAG-IBIG has a housing program that our OFWs should look at.

Here are the details I received through email:

Pag IBIG Overseas Program (POP)

A Program for overseas Filipinos
Join, save for your future and be a happy homeowner now!

Offers the best housing loan packages!!!

1) Lowest Interest Rates - as low as 6% interest rate for loans up to Php 400,000; 7% interest rate for loans over Php 400,000 up to Php 750,000; 8.5% for loans over Php 750,000 up to Php 1 Million
2) High Loan To Collateral Ratio - as high as 95% loanable amount for loans over Php 750,000 up to Php 1.25 M (Developers with buyback agreement). Down payment can be as low as 5% of the selling price
3) Longest Loan Term - maximum of 30 years to pay. Member can choose the loan term, from 1 to 30 years to pay, provided that it shall not exceed the difference betwwen the principal borrower's age at the time of loan application and age seventy
4) Up to Php 3 Million Loan - based on the lowest of the ff: capacity to pay (40% of NDI); actual need; loan to collateral ratio; and membership contribution (member may upgrade contribution to increase the loanable amount). Tacking provision is allowed up to 2 co-borrowers (parents & siblings)

What is the Pag IBIG Overseas Program (POP)?

- A voluntary savings program
- Open for Filipino overseas contract workers / immigrants / permanent residents / seafarers
- Opportunity to save for their future
- Avail of a housing loan of as much as Php 3 million

Non-members can join by simply accomplishing the member's data form and paying the required membership contribution

A Savings Program

- All contributions of the member earn dividends and the contributions plus the dividends can be withdrawn at the end of the membership term (5, 10, 15 or 20 years)

House & Lot as low as Php 1.8 M or Php 16,000 / month*
Condominium as low as Php 1.1 M or Php 8,000 / month*
*monthly amortization

You can check out the official guidelines at the PAG-IBIG Website.

Burial of former President Cory Aquino is a holiday

To honor the burial of former Philippine president Cory Aquino, the government has declared August 5 as a special non-working holiday.

The former president is currently in a Catholic school in manila, where many of those who wish to honor her are flocking to see her for one last time.