The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 6 (Western Visayas) has reminded employers in the region to grant workers their 13th-month bonus.

“On or before December 25, employers should release the 13th month pay for their employees,” DOLE-6 Director Cyril Ticao said in an interview.

Citing Presidential Decree (PD) 851, Ticao said employers are required to give 13th-month pay to their workers, regardless of the nature of their employment.

“Whether you are working there for three months, you are entitled (to) 13th month (pay),” he said. “It’s proportionate to the salary (of the employee). For instance, he or she received PHP5,000 this year and PHP4,500 for the succeeding month because the employee recorded absences, the total salary he or she received will be divided by 12 and that’s how much the employees will get.”

Ticao urged employees in the region to report to the nearest DOLE office in their area those employers who fail to pay them their 13th-month bonus.

In the previous years, he said, some employees reported receiving bonuses not proportionate to their annual salary while some did not receive any.

“The attention of the employers who will fail to pay the employees their bonuses will be called by the regional labor office,” Ticao said.

PD 851 also requires covered employers to make a report of compliance, to be submitted to DOLE-6 not later than January 15 of each year.

The report must include details on the establishment, total employment, the total number of workers who benefited, and the amount granted per employee, among others. (PNA)