Comments on: Let’s go for a 120-day maternity leave!

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By: rowie

rowie — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:13:48 +0000

Oh one more thing. There are some companies here that are very generous with parental leave though. My friend used to work for a company here in the Philippines that gives 1 month paid paternity leave (not sure how long the maternity leave is in that company but it’s also longer than the government requirement).

rowies last blog post..Ecomarket in Market Market.

I wish my company were like that. Haha!

By: rowie

rowie — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:59:06 +0000

Thanks for the correction Lissa!

Toni, sa Pinas you can only file maternity leave 2 weeks before your due date (unless you give birth early), but you can use your paid VL and sick leave as you wish naman e. (So if you add 15 days paid VL and 10 days SL, then that should be a total of 85 days for normal delivery and 100 days for CS).

Our personnel office told me that a lot of moms use their VL (and some, even their SL) right after maternity leave to extend their time with their baby but since as a teacher I’m only allowed to use my paid VL during summer/sembreak, I just went ahead and took a leave without pay a few weeks before my due date, hehe! Di bale nang walang pay.

Another interesting thing: there’s also additional leave in the Philippines for solo parents (i.e., single parents). A lot of people don’t know about this, but if you’re a solo parent you can apply for a solo parent ID from DSWD and if you have that ID, your employer is required to give you paid leave for certain parent-related things (PTA meetings, child’s enrollment, when your child gets sick, etc.). I guess it’s similar to what Christianne was talking about (pero dito for solo parents lang; walang ganoon for married parents).

rowies last blog post..Ecomarket in Market Market.

By: Kay

Kay — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:34:53 +0000

It would be nice to have 120 days if all 120 days would be paid. Kays last blog post..redeployed

True, that would be a good thing!

By: Marie

Marie — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:32:44 +0000

I really hope and pray that that becomes law in the Philippines. Really, spending time with newly born bub is priceless. Here in Australia, I'm not exactly sure how many months the government gives maternity leave. Or, it could be dependent on the company one works for, I think. At work, I believe we have the option of either: doing 3 months full pay, or 6 months at half pay. Or 1 year, with only 6months at half pay. A bit flexible depending on what one prefers! Maries last blog post..Sooner than later

That flexibility is a good thing!!! I wish we had that here. I would love to spend more than 2 months at home with the little one.

By: Lissa

Lissa — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:42:47 +0000

I just had to comment on Rowie’s statement about the US having no paid maternity leave, that’s really not true. It may be a state by state basis but like I said in California, we’re entitled to paid disability leave (up to 4 weeks before your due date) and also 6 weeks paid and another 6 weeks unpaid leave. How much you get paid though is up to your employer but the State has to pay you for your disability and part of your bonding time. Ed was able to get paid family leave as well. It wasn’t full but he was paid for part of it. Granted, it’s not as good as Canada or some other European countries but I do hope that things will get better for new parents in the US overall.

Thanks for the insights, Lissa!

By: kat

kat — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:26:19 +0000

I think it's great that a lot of European countries have government-mandated PAID maternity leave. Here, we have FMLA (Fam Med Leave Act) which allows both State and Fed Govs to grant you up to 3 months UNPAID maternity leave. Some private companies do provide paid leave, but this is not the norm. I took 6 months off UNPAID --which was great because you get to spend a lot of time with your new bebe, but also not great because I had zero moola. Ultimately though, time spent with baby is priceless! kats last blog post..did i ever tell you about the time i had a secret admirer?

I guess we can't have it all! But that zero-paid leave vs. 6 months with the baby? You're right, priceless. I'd go for that too!

By: Lissa

Lissa — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:19:10 +0000

That’s awesome that they’re extending it from 60 to 120 days. You need all the time you can get to bond with your baby. I left Connor at home when he was only 2 months and it was sad but I didn’t have enough time left. My MIL also stayed with us so that helped a bit. I did take off a couple weeks here and there before he turned 1 though. It’s a little different here in CA. At least the next time, I know that I have to earn as much PTO I can so I can maximize my time with our newborn. We’re allowed 4 weeks before your due date and a total of 16 weeks (~4 months) bonding and family leave afterwards. It also depends on how your work incorporates pay into their system though. We can get full pay as long as you have enough sick time and vacation time, so it’s really in your best interest to not spend them if you don’t need to.

You’ll encounter trials and tribulations with your firstborn but it’s all worth it.

They’re not extending it yet! The bill hasn’t been passed. Let’s cross our fingers that it does get passed.

By: Ara

Ara — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:54:59 +0000

Hi. I’m glad that the Philippine government is now realizing that mothers need more time to recuperate/adjust. I hope the bill is approved.

I am a Filipina currenly living in Vancouver, BC. I just wanted to say that Canadians get 1 year off with maternity benefits. We can split it up with the hubby if we chose to do so.

Oh wow, that’s a great benefit for both parents, and most especially for the baby! Go Canada

By: rowie

rowie — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:52:24 +0000

Two months (or even 2.5, as in the case of CS) is really too short. Even from a recovery perspective, after 75 days, kumikirot pa ang tahi ko and I really did NOT feel that my body was prepared to go back to work! Tingin ko dapat at least 3 months, even if the 3rd month isn't fully paid (e.g., okay na siguro 50% of regular pay). I think 6 months would be ideal, because the first 6 months are really crucial (and having 6 months off would make it easier for moms to breastfeed their babies), but I don't know if our country, being a 3rd world country, can afford that. The way I see it, parental leave isn't really just a benefit for moms (or dads, in the case of paternity leave). It's a benefit that you're giving society as a whole by allowing babies to be looked after by their parents better in the first few months of their lives. Christianne, I think your analysis about #1 is correct, because here in the PH moms are only allowed to start their maternity leave 2 weeks before their due date. So I think it's really about the mom's recovery, and only secondarily about the baby. The really interesting thing is that the US, one of the richest countries in the world, has NO paid maternity leave. They have 12 weeks unpaid maternity leave and some private companies give other maternity benefits but it isn't mandated by law. And if I'm not mistaken they don't have paternity leave. I think that's really sad. rowies last blog post..Ecomarket in Market Market.

I REALLY want to breastfeed Timmy as much as I can. I already foresee some difficulty when I have to go back to work and need to pump. Sigh. We'll see how it goes. No paternity leave in the US? That's sad nga. Pati the other factors. Swerte pa pala tayo. To think US na yon!