Top execs say too many holidays costly for biz

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ABS-CBN NEWS

Filipino commuters crowd while waiting to flag public utility vehicles during a public transport strike against the modernization and phase out of jeepneys  aged 15 years and older on Oct. 16 in Metro Manila.

MANILA – The government’s declaration of non-working days have a negative impact on businesses because of unexpected costs in operations, business leaders said on Tuesday.

“It impacts on us by increasing our pay scale, when we have no choice but to make make our employees work then it becomes very costly for us,” Phinma Group president and CEO Ramon del Rosario Jr. told reporters in a chance interview.

In a separate interview, Sun Life Financial Philippines CEO and country head Rizalina Mantaring said, “If there are too many holidays it becomes costly for business.”

“It’s very important for us to plan ahead  so if there’s sudden unexpected holidays and we have deadlines and timetables to follow we can’t just call off work,” Mantaring told GMA News Online.

“Oftentimes, we are forced to ask our employees to come to work and you have to pay them holiday pay,” she added.

Del Rosario, a former secretary of finance, was among the executives that attended the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) general membership meeting on Tuesday in Makati City.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier declared November 13 to 15 as special non-working days in Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Pampanga as the country will host the 31st ASEAN Summit next month.

Prior to this declaration, Metro Manila mayors also suspended classes in all levels on Nov. 16 and 17.

Last week, the Palace suspended classes and government work on October 16 and 17 due to the two-day transport strike by PISTON in protest of the government’s PUV Modernization Program.

Del Rosario said that businesses realized the need to declare holidays but added that the government should be more careful in suspending work.

“Holidays really disrupt the economy. Of course, we enjoy long weekends with our families… While we may have  reasons for declaring it, I think the general message is let’s be careful in declaring holidays,” Del Rosario said.

Likewise, Mantaring said that holidays should be advised well in advance.

“A lot better if this is planned in advance and we have a calendar at the start of the year… because the enemy of business is uncertainty and unexpected holidays are uncertainties we need to deal with,” Mantaring said.

While businesses shoulder the cost of paying holiday pays, Del Rosario said the biggest negative impact would be for employees who earn on a daily basis.

“The biggest concern has a lot to do with employees particularly those who work on ‘no work, no pay’ basis … It’s really sad that they get impacted negatively,” Del Rosario said. (GMA News)
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