President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law that extends the paid maternity leave to 105 days for female workers.
The signing of the Expanded Maternity Leave Act, which covers working mothers in both public and private sectors, was confirmed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. The new law applies to every instance of pregnancy and provides 105 days of paid maternity leave to all working mothers and an additional 15 days to solo mothers. Mothers will also have the option to extend for an additional 30 days of unpaid leave. The previous law allowed women only 60 days of paid maternity leave. The new law also benefits fathers who are allowed seven maternity leave days, raising the paternity leave to 14 days.
