Senators agree to limit only non-working holidays, Cynthia Villar clarifies

Senator Cynthia Villar on Monday clarified that senators agreed to limiting only the non-working holidays.

Villar made the clarification after Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said last week that the members of the Senate have agreed to limit the approval of bills on local holidays as lawmakers want Filipino workers to become “more competitive.”

“Sa kanila naman okay ‘yung working holiday, sa amin ha. ‘Wag lang masyadong maraming non-working holiday… ‘Yung working holiday, okay lang ‘yun kasi parang magpo-programa ka lang to celebrate something but people will still work,” Villar said in a chance interview.

(The senators have no problem with working holidays, but not more non-working holidays. You can just hold a program during working holidays to celebrate something but people still work.)  

Villar, wife of business tycoon Manny Villar, explained that non-working holidays have big costs not only to the private sector but also to the government.

“Kasi pag non-working holiday, affected na lahat. Affected ‘yung trabaho ng gobyerno, affected din ‘yung mga private enterprises… Magpapasweldo ka pero walang production. ‘Yun ang problema noon. So malaki ang cost talaga both sa government and private sector,” she said.

“‘Pag working holiday naman walang effect ‘yun. Mag-celebrate na lang tayo in a way na mas maganda pero tuloy pa rin ang trabaho,” she added.

(If you declare a non-working holiday, everyone will be affected. The work in the government and in the private enterprises will be affected. You will have to pay the workers but there is no production. So that is the problem there. It has a big cost both in the government and private sector. On the other hand, if you impose a working holiday that has no effect at all. We can celebrate something in a way but the production will still continue.)

Last week, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said there is a “plus and minus” on the limiting of local holidays.

“Alam naman natin na talagang kung ang holiday ay napakarami, naapektuhan ang productivity. On the other hand, ‘yung mga gustong magsipasok nakikinabang sa dagdag na insentibo dahil nagtrabaho sila ng holiday,” said Laguesma at a press conference.

(Holidays hamper productivity but workers also gain from its incentives.)

“May plus and minus na makikita. Alam namin nakakapag-adjust ang mga negosyante (There is a plus and minus to this. We know employers can adjust),” he said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News