President Rodrigo Duterte has signed three new laws and declared Sept. 8 a working holiday.
The President signed Republic Act 11360, which requires hotels and restaurants to distribute service charges in full to their rank-and-file employees.
Under the new law, all service charges shall be “distributed completely and equally among the covered workers except managerial employees.”
Under the previous setup, only 85 percent of the service charge went to employees while the remaining part will be acquired by the management.
The President also signed Republic Act No. 11362 or the Community Service Act, which authorizes the court, in its discretion, to require community service for minor offenses.
Under the law, the court may require community service instead of imprisonment for arresto menor (one day to 30 days imprisonment) and arresto mayor (one month and one day to six months).
Duterte also signed a law reorganizing and strengthening the Cooperative Development Authority or the “Cooperative Development Authority Charter of 2019” (Republic Act No. 11364).
The CDA shall have its head office in the National Capital Region and shall maintain the existing 16 extension offices.
The President also declared Sept. 8 of every year a working holiday to commemorate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Catholic Church celebrates the Virgin Mary’s birth on Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her Immaculate Conception as the child of Saints Joachim and Anne.
The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary originated in Jerusalem, Israel in the early 6th century. With PNA