Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

554
HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO,
GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. RAOUL DANNIEL A. MANUEL

AN ACT
PROVIDING SICK LEAVE BENEFITS OF FIFTEEN DAYS WITH PAY PER
YEAR TO ALL PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Sick leave is defined under pertinent rules and regulations of the Civil Service
Commission as granted “on account of sickness or disability on the part of the
employee concerned or any member of his immediate family.”

It is a common complaint among public school teachers that, since current
laws, rules, and regulations do not afford them this leave privilege, it is as if
government views them as superhumans who do not get sick during the school year.
When they do, teachers just “bear it” and hold classes while they have fever or any
other illness, or absent themselves but suffer deductions in their salaries. Often, it
takes longer for them to heal, with almost zero time for recuperation. Worse, what
start as minor conditions get aggravated, requiring more expensive treatment.

The justification for not affording public school teachers sick leave privileges is
that they are allegedly already covered by the leave benefits granted to those on
“teachers” leave basis,” namely, service credits and Proportional Vacation Pay (PVP).
However, service credits are in fact remuneration for work done by the teacher,
particularly, those done beyond regular functions or regular work or days, such as
Brigada Eskwela and election and census service. Furthermore, availment of service
credits is saddled with many requirements and limited to only 15 days per year,
despite the many non-teaching related tasks and activities required of teachers. On the


other hand, the PVP has for a long time become remuneration also, this time for work
required of teachers during April and May, which are supposedly months of vacation

Otherwise put, service credits and PVP have different nature and purpose as
compared to sick leave—which is a privilege that would allow teachers to take off
from work due to health reasons. But, since current rules provide that service credits
and PVP shall be used to “offset” absences during the school year, teachers’
remuneration for work (that is, service credits and PVP) are in effect diminished or
reduced whenever they get sick on school days. Public school teachers do not deserve
this treatment.

It is high time for our laws to be rectified in order to extend to public school
teachers greater protection against health complications, especially considering that
most of such conditions are the effects of the daily strain of teachers’ tasks in schools
and overwork.

For the foregoing reasons, approval of this bill is earnestly sought

wie

Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS Rep. RAOUL DANNIEL A. MANUEL
GABRIELA Women’s Party KABATAAN Party-List



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

554

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO,
GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. RAOUL DANNIEL A. MANUEL

AN ACT
PROVIDING SICK LEAVE BENEFITS OF FIFTEEN DAYS WITH PAY PER
YEAR TO ALL PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS

Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Sick Leave with Pay for Public School Teachers. All public school
teachers shall be entitled to sick leave benefits of fifteen (15) days with pay per year.
In the computation of the same, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays shall be excluded.

The leave privilege provided under this Act shall be in addition to the service
credits and the Proportional Vacation Pay already provided under present laws and
rules: Provided, That the same shall be non-cumulative and non-convertible to cash.

SEC. 2. Implementing Rules and Regulations, The Department of Education shall
promulgate the rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this Act

within a period of thirty (30) days after its effectivity.

SEC. 3. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, rules and regulations, and other
issuances inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 4. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or one (1) newspaper of general circulation

Approved,