In an interview with CNN Philippines, Democratic Independent Workers’ Association (DIWA) Party-list representative Emmeline Aglipay-Villar confirmed that the proposed expansion of Maternity leave to 100 days has been given the green light by the House of Representatives.
According to Villar, approving this bill not only benefits moms, as well as their baby’s nutrition, as it promotes more time for moms to breastfeed.
“Most of the time, women stop breastfeeding due to the problem of having to return to work,” she said in an interview on CNN’s The Source. “The reason why our malnutrition rate is very high in the Philippines is because a lot of babies do not meet that requirement of being breastfed for two months.”
The goal of the bill is to provide new mothers with more time to recover from childbirth and care for their newborn.
photo: dreamstime
The goal of the bill is to provide new mothers with more time to recover from childbirth and to care for their newborn. The bill shall provide government workers with a fully paid leave; those working in the private sector will be granted an average amount according to their monthly salary.
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Currently, a similar 150-day Maternity Leave bill has yet to be passed by the Senate.
This 100-day bill will also allow 30-day extensions–without pay. And it’s not just regularized employees who can enjoy its benefits, even contractual workers and adoptive parents are qualified to avail of it, according to a report by CNN Philippines.
photo: dreamstime
Villar told the Manila Bulletin will help moms care for their babies during the first 100 days and encourage breastfeeding.
“Families are the building blocks of our nation, and the State is mandated to protect them, as well as the primary duty and right of parents to raise their children,” Villar, who is the principal author of the bill, also told the Manila Bulletin. “This is particularly important when a child first enters the world, as studies have shown the immense benefits to the presence of the mother during those first few weeks of life.”
READ: Maternity package rates from over 40 maternity hospitals in Manila
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