Statutory Leave

Service Incentive Leave (SIL)

In accordance with Article 95 of the Labor Code, the Company provides the mandatory Five (5) days of Service Incentive Leave (SIL) to employees who have rendered at least one year of service.

• Usage: May be used for Vacation or Sick Leave.
• Monetization: Any unused portion of these 5 days shall be converted to cash at the end of the year or upon separation (resignation/termination).

SPECIAL MANDATORY LEAVES

In accordance with Philippine labor laws and special social legislation, the Company provides the following mandatory leaves. These leaves are granted for specific life events or legal protections and are generally non-cumulative and non-convertible to cash.

VAWC Leave (RA 9262)

• Definition: Under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act, any female employee who is a victim of physical, sexual, psychological, or economic abuse is entitled to ten (10) days of paid leave.
• Purpose: To allow the victim to attend to medical and legal concerns, seek protection orders, or undergo rehabilitation.
• Requirement: The employee must submit a Certification from the Punong Barangay, the Court, or the Prosecutor’s Office stating that an action relative to the matter has been filed.
• Extension: This leave is extendible when necessary, as specified in the protection order, but any extension beyond 10 days shall be unpaid unless the employee uses their remaining VL/SL credits.

Expanded Maternity Leave (RA 11210)

• Entitlement: 105 days of fully paid leave for live childbirth (Normal or Caesarean).
• Solo Mothers: An additional 15 days (Total 120 days).
• Miscarriage/Emergency Termination: 60 days of fully paid leave.
• Salary Differential: The Employer shall pay the difference between the SSS benefit and the employee’s actual full salary.

Paternity Leave (RA 8187)

• Entitlement: 7 days of paid leave for married male employees for the first four (4) deliveries (including miscarriages) of their legitimate spouse with whom they are cohabiting.

Expanded Solo Parent Leave (RA 11861)

• Entitlement: 7 days of paid leave annually for any employee who qualifies as a "Solo Parent" and has rendered at least 6 months of service.
• Requirement: Must present a valid Solo Parent ID or Certification from their LGU.

THE 30-DAY "SAFETY NET" LEAVE POLICY

While Philippine law only requires five (5) days of Service Incentive Leave (SIL), the Company provides a total of 30 Days of Paid Leave per year. The additional 25-day leave pool is a voluntary non-monetizable benefit provided by the Company to promote work-life balance and provide security during unforeseen events.

The Leave Breakdown

Statutory SIL (The first 5 days):

These are your mandatory legal credits. The first five (5) approved leave days of the calendar year will be deducted from your Statutory SIL. Because these are the only days mandated by law, these are the only credits eligible for cash conversion if unused at the end of the year.

Company-Granted Leave (The next 25 days)

• Purpose & Coverage

The 25-day company-granted leave is a Wellness Grant designed to protect an employee’s salary during life events and to encourage regular rest. These credits ensure no deduction from the basic monthly pay occurs during:

• Force Majeure: Natural calamities or emergencies.
• Special Non-Working Holidays: When the office is closed.
• Health & Rest: Periods of illness or scheduled personal breaks.

It is also designed to encourage employees to take necessary breaks throughout the year. To support this goal, these credits are subject to the following rules:

• Vacation Leave (VL): For rest and recreation.

• Sick Leave (SL): For recovery from illness or medical emergencies.

• Calamity/Work Suspensions: Salary protection during typhoons, floods, or government-mandated suspensions.

• Special Non-Working Holidays: To ensure you receive your full monthly salary even when the office is closed for local or special holidays.

Strategic Use of Leaves

Because this 25-day pool covers holidays and calamities, employees are expected to manage their credits wisely.

• The Buffer: We strongly recommend keeping a portion of your leaves "in reserve" for the typhoon season. This ensures that even during a week-long weather disturbance, you never face an unpaid day.

No Cash Value:

This grant is strictly for time off and will not be paid out in cash at year-end or upon resignation.

Use It or Lose It:

To ensure employees take their annual rest, these credits do not carry over to the succeeding year. Any unused portion of the 25-day grant shall automatically expire on December 31.

Management Prerogative for "Special Tasks"

In rare cases, Management may request certain employees to work remotely during a suspension (e.g., urgent payroll or emergency server maintenance).

The Exemption/Work Credit:

Only those explicitly requested via the Official Group Chat/private message to perform "Emergency Remote Tasks" will be credited for a full day's work without using a leave credit.

Self-Assigned Work

Deciding to work from home during a suspension without an explicit request from Management will not be credited for pay. In such cases, a leave credit from your 30-day pool will be applied to keep your salary whole.

LEAVE ELIGIBILITY DURING PROBATIONARY PERIOD

Duration: Typically the first six (6) months of service.

Probationary employment is a period of training and evaluation. Consequently, the following rules apply:

• SIL Restriction: Employees are NOT yet eligible for Service Incentive Leave (SIL) at this stage. Under the Labor Code, SIL eligibility only begins after completing one (1) full year of service.

• No Paid Leave Credits: Probationary employees are not entitled to the 5-day Statutory Service Incentive Leave (SIL) or the 25-day Company-Granted Leave pool. Any absences during this period are generally considered - Leave Without Pay (LWOP) unless the Work Restoration (Offset) option is approved.

• The Offset Option: To avoid salary deductions, employees may request to "Offset" an authorized absence by rendering extra hours or working on a rest day, subject to the Manager/President's approval.

• Discretionary Reward Leave: At the sole discretion of Management, probationary employees may be granted Reward Leaves. These are non-standard credits awarded for exceptional effort or participation in company-wide events (e.g., team building, weekend events, or holiday celebrations). These are "gifts" of time and do not establish a permanent entitlement.

LEAVE ACCRUAL AND ANNIVERSARY RECOMPUTATION

To ensure equity and compliance with the Philippine Labor Code, the Company distinguishes between Company-Granted Leave and Statutory Service Incentive Leave (SIL) based on the employee's length of service.

Probationary and Newly Regularized Accrual

• Probationary Status: Employees are not entitled to paid leave credits.
• New Regulars (Months 7–12 of Service): Upon regularization, employees shall accrue Company-Granted Leave at a rate of 2 days per month (based on a 25-day annual pool). These credits are "Use it or Lose it" and are not convertible to cash.

Established Regulars: The One-Year Anniversary Milestone

• The Anniversary Rule:

Eligibility for the 5-day Statutory SIL is calculated strictly from the original Hire Date (start of Probationary status), not from the date of regularization.

Upon reaching the one (1) year anniversary of the original hire date, the employee’s leave profile is updated as follows:

• SIL Activation: On the 12th month of continuous service from the hire date, the 5-day SIL is "unlocked" and inserted into the employee's leave balance as the priority consumption tier.
• Updated Accrual Rate: The monthly accrual rate is adjusted from 2 days to 2.5 days per month to reflect the full 30-day annual leave pool (25 Company + 5 SIL).

Priority of Consumption (First-In Rule)

To satisfy legal requirements, the Company follows a strict deduction priority:

• Post-Anniversary Absences: Once an employee has reached their 1-year anniversary, the first five (5) days of absence thereafter shall be automatically deducted from the Statutory SIL balance.
• Subsequent Absences: Once the 5-day SIL is fully consumed, further absences shall be deducted from the remaining Company-Granted Leave balance.

No Selective Tagging:

Employees are not permitted to "save" or "reserve" their 5-day SIL for later use or cash conversion while utilizing the 25-day Company-Granted Leave. The system will automatically apply the SIL to the first five absences of the year.

Year-End Conversion Only

Unused credits from the 5-day Statutory SIL (earned after the 1st anniversary) are convertible to cash at the end of the calendar year. All other company-granted leave credits have no cash value.

Fiinal Pay Calculation:

Upon resignation, the Final Pay will only include the cash conversion of the unused portion of the 5-day SIL. The remaining 25 days of company-granted VL/SL have no cash value.

DISCRETIONARY REWARD AND INCENTIVE LEAVES

Nature of the Leave At the Employer’s sole discretion, additional Reward Leaves may be granted as a special incentive for employees. These are separate from and in addition to the statutory and company-granted leave pools.

Criteria for Granting These leaves may be awarded for:

• Exceptional Performance: Surpassing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), delivering high-quality work under pressure, or demonstrating extraordinary dedication to a project.
• Event-Related Rest: To provide recuperation time following participation in major company events, intensive field deployments, or weekend activities authorized by Management.

Non-Monetization and Expiry

• No Cash Value: As a discretionary incentive, Reward Leaves are strictly for rest and have no cash value. They cannot be converted to cash or included in final pay.
• One-Time Use: Unless otherwise specified, Reward Leaves must be used within the period designated by Management at the time of the grant, otherwise they shall expire.

Approval Process:

Like all leaves, Reward Leaves must be scheduled and approved by the immediate supervisor or the President to ensure office operations are not disrupted.

COMPASSIONATE (BEREAVEMENT) LEAVE

Bereavement Leave is not a statutory leave under Philippine labor laws. It is a discretionary benefit voluntarily extended by the Company as an act of compassion to allow employees dedicated time to grieve and attend to funeral arrangements without financial loss.

Scope of Coverage:

This discretionary benefit is strictly limited to the death of a member of the employee's Immediate Legal Family:

• Parents: Biological or Legally Adoptive parents.

• Spouse: Legally married spouse.

• Children: Biological or Legally Adopted children.

• Duration: Qualified employees are granted three (3) days of paid leave. This is a separate grant and is not deducted from the 30-day (5+25) leave pool.

Exclusions: Deaths of siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, or domestic partners are not covered under this specific leave. Employees are encouraged to utilize their Company-Granted Leave (VL/SL pool) for these instances.

Mandatory Documentation: To avail of this special benefit, the employee must submit a copy of the Death Certificate and proof of legal relationship (e.g., PSA Birth Certificate or Marriage Contract) immediately upon returning to the office.

Failure to Comply: Without the submission of these legal documents, the three (3) days will be automatically deducted from the employee's 30-day leave pool. If no credits remain, the absence will be processed as Leave Without Pay (LWOP).

Summary of Benefits

• Statutory Contributions: SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG.
• 13th Month Pay: Paid on or before December 24.
• Service Incentive Leave (SIL): 5 days (Included in the 30-day pool; cash-convertible).
• Company-Granted Leave: 25 days (Included in the 30-day pool; "Use It or Lose It").
• Bereavement Leave: 3 days (For immediate family; separate from the 30-day pool).
• Reward and Incentive Leave: Discretionary leave for performance or events, separate from the 30-day pool.
• Special Leaves: Maternity, Paternity, Solo Parent, and VAWC.