FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
) 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article XIII, Section 3 provides that "The State shall afford full 
protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized, and promote full employment 
opportunities for all. The State shall guaranty the rights of all workers to self-organization, 
collective bargaining and negotiations, and peaceful concerted activities, including the right to 
strike in accordance with law. They shall be entitled to security of tenure, humane conditions of 
work, and a living wage. They shall also participate in policy and decision-making processes 
affecting their rights and benefits as may be provided by law." 
Employees in the private sector are notably squeezed by their employers to give as much 
work as would permit. Many are often compelled to work beyond the legally prescribed working 
hours without monetary or other form of compensation benefit. Among others, these lead to the 
neglect of the employees' families and their own physical and spiritual needs. 
In accordance with the aforequoted constitutional mandate, this bill seeks to afford 
further protection to labor by providing employees in the private sector demands of workplaces 
with their personal needs and those of their families by allowing employers to offer 
compensatory time off, which employees may voluntarily elect to receive, and to establish 
biweekly work programs and flexible credit hour programs, in which employees may voluntarily 
participate.* 
' This hill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
) 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYEES COMPENSATORY TIME OFF; 
BIWEEKLY WORK SCHEDULES AND FLEXIBLE CREDIT HOURS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assem bled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as “Family Friendly Workplace Act 
of 2007.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to afford full protection 
to labor and provide them with humane working conditions. 
SECTION 3. Compensatory Time OfJ: 
- An employee may receive, in leiu of monetary 
overtime compensation, compensatory time off at a rate not less than one and on-half (1 %) hours 
for each hour of employment for which monetary compensation is required. 
For purposes of this Act, the term “employee” does not include an employee of a public 
agency. 
SECTION 4. Conditions. - An employer may provide compensatory time off to 
employees under Section 3 only pursuant to the following: 
(A) Such time may be provided only in accordance with- 
(1) Applicable provisions of the employee recognized under the Labor Code; 
(2) In the case of employees who are not represented by a labor organization 
recognized as provided in the Labor Code, an agreement or understanding 
arrived at between the employer and employee before the performance of the 
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work involved if such agreement or understanding was entered into knowingly 
and voluntarily by such employee and was not a condition of employment; 
(3) If the employee has not accrued compensatory time off in excess of the limit 
applicable to the employee prescribed by Sector 5. 
SECTION 5. Hour Limit. - 
(A) Maximum Hours. - An employee may accrue not more than two hundred forty (240) 
hours of compensatory time off. 
(B) Compensation Date. - Not later than January 31 of each calendar year, the 
employee’s employer shall provide monetary compensation for any unused compensatory time 
off accrued during the preceding calendar year that was not used prior to December 3 1 of the 
preceding calendar year. An employer may designate and communicate to the employees of the 
employer a twelve (12) month period other than the calendar year, in which case such 
compensation shall be provided not later than thirty-one (3 1) days after the end of such 12-month 
period. 
(C) Excess ofEighty (80) Hours. - The employer may provide monetary compensation 
for an employee’s unused compensatory time off in excess of eighty (80) hours at any time after 
giving the employee at least thirty (30) days notice. 
SECTION 6. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent 
with, the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 8. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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