TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) -- It was not just the 13th month pay, but it also had a bonus in it. 

This was what Ma. Luisa Saguirel, a laundry shop owner in Tagbilaran City, realized after she discovered that she had given more than what her employee was supposed to receive for his 13th month pay. 

Saguirel realized her mistake during the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) first Technical Advisory Visit (TAV) in 2024 at the Saulog Gym of the City Hall Complex attended by 55 business owners employing less than workers. 

During the TAV discussions, DOLE labor inspector Liezel Hadassah Cadua taught the participants how to compute the 13th month pay. 

By law, the 13th month pay is an additional compensation given to the employees. The amount is determined by the employee’s total basic salary earned within the calendar year and divided by 12. 

“That is, if he was hired in the entire 12 months,” explained Cadua. 

Saguirel realized that her computation was wrong and that she has given more than what her employee should have received in his 13th month pay. 

As to the overpayment, she just laughed it off, adding, “pinaskohan na lang to nako niya.”

(I’ll just consider it as my Christmas gift to him.)

Saguirel is glad that she attended the TAV as she learned more about labor standards and guidelines. 

“There are workers who whimsically come to work anytime, without regard for business hours and declare overtime, something I now know is not allowable, unless the employers approve it,” she shared. 

Grace Auguis, 54, who owns a six-room apartment as her micro-business, is also thankful that she attended the TAV. 

“TAV is a great venue for getting employers informed. We could not blame the government anymore if we are remiss because we have been given proper and useful information,” said Auguis.

Culture of voluntary compliance

Cadua’s discussion was among the inputs that DOLE and its allied industry and labor partners presented during the TAV, a series of briefings that aims to orient micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) employers and business owners on the effective implementation of the labor standards enforcement framework. 

“This is so that MSME establishments and workplaces build a culture of voluntary compliance with the labor standards and protect workers by ensuring their safety and just compensation,” said Maria Eloida Cantona,DOLE Bohol field office head. 

During the TAV, employers also learned that they can get incentives for their businesses if they register it under the Barangay Micro Business Enterprise (BMBE) Law. 

“Being a BMBE registered MSME, they can avail of income tax exemption for income arising from the operation of the enterprise for the  first two years of operation, exemption from the coverage of the Minimum Wage Law except the same social security and health care benefits as other employees, priority to a special credit window set up specifically for the financing requirements of BMBEs, and technology transfer, production and management training, marketing assistance programs for BMBE beneficiaries,” explained John Jescio Liquit, a Department of Trade and Industry business counselor. 

Under Articles 128 and 129 of the Labor Code of the Philippines, DOLE is mandated to protect the labor force as the pillar of the economy, by ensuring fair and just working conditions, through observance of labor laws and social legislation which bring about safeguarded workers interests. 

Under this mandate, DOLE inspects working premises to assess compliance with the labor laws and regulations.  (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)