Typhoon-affected gov’t workers eligible for special emergency leave

Manila: Permanent government employees affected by calamities are eligible to apply for a five-day special emergency leave (SEL), the Civil Service Commission (CSC) said Friday. CSC Western Pangasinan Field Office senior human resource specialist Romel Rivera cited CSC memorandum circular No. 2 s. of 2012 and supplemented by CSC MC No. 16 s. 2012. The special emergency leave allows workers to attend to personal emergencies resulting from typhoons, floods, and other similar events. 'Ang mga empleyado natin na apektado ng kalamidad, lalo na ngayong panahon ng bagyo, na hindi makakapagreport nang pisikal sa kanilang opisina ay maaari silang gumamit ng SEL (Our calamity-affected employees, especially this typhoon season, who are unable to report to their offices, can use SEL,' Rivera said. He noted that government employees may apply for SEL immediately or within 30 days following the declaration of a state of calamity in their area. Personal emergencies covered by the leave privilege may include evacuating from affected areas, repairing damaged homes, or caring for affected family members. Rivera said the leave can be applied for five consecutive working days or on a staggered basis and would not be deducted from the employee's leave credits. However, unused SEL cannot be carried over to the following year, accumulated or converted into regular leave credits or cash equivalents. Source: Philippines News Agency