SOP No: HR-PB37

SOP Library

SOP NO: HR-PB37 (List of Exhibits/Attachments)

Mission: Finance and Administration

Area: Human Resource (HR)

Activity: Personnel Benefits and Services (HR-PB)

Title: Revised SOP on Leave of Absence (Superseded by HR-PB56)

Date Approved/Issued: 04/24/2002

Date Effective: 05/01/2002

Digest:

I. TERMS OF REFERENCE

A. Rationale

B. Objective

C. Scope

D. Basis

II. IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES

A. Granting of Leave

1. Sick Leave/Vacation Leave

1.1. NFA officials and employees whether permanent, temporary, or casual, who render work during the prescribed office hours, shall be entitled to 15 days vacation and 15 days

sick leave

annually with full pay exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, Public holidays, without limitation as to the number of days of vacation and

sick leave

that they may accumulate.

1.2. Employees hired on contractual basis are likewise entitled to vacation and

sick leave

credits as well as

special leave privileges

1.3. Computation of

Sick Leave

Vacation Leave

Credits

a. Computation of vacation and

sick leave

credits of regular and contractual employees shall be made on the basis of 1.25 days

vacation leave

and 1.25 days

sick leave

for every month of “actual service” using the Tables of Computations (

Tables I, II, and III

The term “actual service” refers to the period of continuous service since the appointment of the official or employee concerned,

including the period or periods covered by any previously approved

vacation leave

with pay and

sick leave

with or without pay.

b. For purposes of granting

leave of absence

with pay, a leave balance of 0.25 or more shall be considered as one half (1/2) day while a leave balance of 0.75 or more shall be counted as one full day. However, the difference between the actual leave balance and the leave granted shall be immediately deducted from the succeeding month’s leave earnings. To illustrate:

Employee A incurred a half-day leave but has only .30

vacation leave

to his credit. He shall still be granted half-day leave with pay as 0.30 is more than 0.25 and thus can be considered as ½ day. However, if Employee A is to earn 1.25 VL credits for the succeeding month, the 0.20 difference shall be deducted therefrom. Hence, he shall only be earning 0.95 instead of 1.25

1.4. The following officials/employees do not earn sick/

vacation leave

credits:

a. An official/employee who is on

vacation leave

without pay does not earn leave credits as

vacation leave

without pay is not considered as part of the actual service. However,

vacation leave

with pay and

sick leave

with or without pay

are part of the actual service and the official/employee earns leave credits when on such leave.

b. An official/employee on

terminal leave

does not earn any leave credits as he is already out of the service. While on

terminal leave

, he merely enjoys the benefits derived during the time of such employment. Consequently, he shall no longer be entitled to the benefits or salary increases that may be granted thereafter.

c. An official/employee who has reached the compulsory retirement age of sixty five (65) but whose service has been extended by the Civil Service Commission for another six (6) months no longer earns leave credits.

1.5. Leave during Probationary Period

An employee can already avail of the sick/

vacation leave

credits he may have earned during the first six months of service from the date of his original appointment (probationary period) based on the 1.25 days SL and 1.25 days VL earnings per month. He shall no longer be required to complete six (6) months of continuous, faithful and satisfactory service before he can be entitled to

sick leave

and

vacation leave

with full pay. However, any

leave of absence

without pay incurred during his first six months in the service shall extend the completion of his probationary period for the same number of days of such absence. Example:

Employee A’s entrance to duty is June 01, 2000 so his probationary period ends on December 01, 2000. He applied for a five-day vacation

leave of absence

, on August 1-7, 2000. Employee A’s application was approved but was granted only 2.5 days

leave of absence

with pay, and 2.5 days leave without pay inasmuch as he has earned only 2.5 days

vacation leave

credits. Accordingly, the probationary period of Employee A shall be extended for 2.5 days

1.6. Vacation and

sick leave

shall be cumulative and any part thereof which may not be taken within the calendar year may be carried over to the succeeding years.

1.7.

Leave of absence

for any reason other than illness of an official or employee or of any member of his immediate family must be contingent upon the needs of the service. Hence, the grant of

vacation leave

shall be at the discretion of the head of the department/agency.

1.8. An official or employee with sufficient leave credits who applies for vacation or sick

leave of absence

shall be granted leave with pay at the salary he is currently receiving.

19. While an official or employee is on vacation or

sick leave

with or without pay, his position is not vacant. During the period of such leave therefore, only substitute appointments can be made to his position.

1.10. Transfer of Vacation/

Sick Leave

Credits

a. An official or employee who transfers from one government agency to another, shall have the following options:

a.1. commute all his accumulated vacation and/or

sick leave

credits, or

a.2. transfer all his accumulated vacation and/or

sick leave

credits to his new agency.

b. The second option can be exercised as a matter of right only by an employee who does not have a gap in his service. However, a gap of not more than one month may be allowed provided same is not due to his fault.

c. The option to transfer accumulated leave credits can be exercised within one (1) year only from the employee’s transfer to the new agency.

d. This provision is not applicable to transfer of leave credits of uniformed personnel from the military to the civilian service.

1.11. Commutation of Vacation/

Sick Leave

Credits

a. An official or employee who retires, voluntarily resigns, or is allowed to resign or is separated from the service shall be entitled to the commutation of all accumulated vacation and/or

sick leave

to his credit, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and holidays without limitation as to the number of vacation and

sick leave

that he may have accumulated, provided his leave benefits are not covered by special law.

b. When a person whose leave has been commuted following his separation from the service is re-employed in the government before the expiration of the leave commuted, he shall no longer refund the money value of the unexpired portion of the said leave. Insofar as his leave credits is concerned, he shall start from zero balance.

c. The NFA Administrator, may, in his discretion, authorize the commutation of the salary that would be received during the period of vacation and

sick leave

of any official and employee and direct its payment at the beginning of such leave from the fund out of which the salary would have been paid.

1.12. Vacation/Sick Leave

Without Pay (LWOP)

a. All absences of an official or employee in excess of his accumulated vacation or

sick leave

credits earned shall be without pay. To compute the salary of employees who incur LWOP in a given month, the following formula shall be used:

MONTHLY GROSS SALARY

SALARY = MONTHLY GROSS - -------------------------------------- X NO. OF DAYS

SALARY

CALENDAR DAYS

LWOP

b. An employee, regardless of whether he has leave credits or not, who is absent on a day immediately preceding or following a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, shall not be considered absent on said days. However, in case of continuous absences without pay exceeding ten (10) working days, the divisor in the above formula shall be the actual number of working days instead of calendar days.

c. When an employee has already exhausted his

sick leave

credits, his approved

sick leave

applications can be charged to his

vacation leave

credits. However, in case an employee has no more

vacation leave

credits, his approved

vacation leave

applications shall be without pay and cannot be charged to his

sick leave

credits.

d. Leave without pay shall not be granted whenever an employee has leave with pay to his credit except in the case of secondment. In which case, the seconded employee shall be on leave without pay from his mother agency for the duration of his secondment, and during such period, he may earn leave credits which is commutable immediately thereafter at and payable by the receiving agency.

e. Leave of absence without pay may be granted for a maximum period of one year in addition to the vacation and/or sick leave earned. However, due to exigency of the service, vacation leave without pay may only be allowed for a period of three (3) months. All applications for extension should be accompanied by a written request citing the reason for such leave.

f. If an official or employee fails to report for work at the expiration of one year from the date of such leave, he shall be automatically separated from the service.

1.13

Monetization

of Leave Credits

a. Officials and employees who have accumulated fifteen (15) days credits or more shall

be allowed to monetize a minimum of ten (10) days and a maximum of thirty (30) days in a given year provided that at least five (5) days is retained after

monetization

b. The

monetization

vacation leave

credits shall be availed of only once a year. The availment can be in any month of the year but subject to availability of funds.

c. Funding for

monetization

of leave credits shall be charged from the savings of the department/office concerned.

Monetization

of fifty percent (50%) of the employee’s accumulated sick and vacation leave credits may be allowed for valid and justifiable reasons subject to the discretion of the Administrator and the availability of funds.

e. The number of days of vacation leave credits that the employee monetized shall be deducted from his leave credits. For monitoring purposes, an official or employee who avails of this privilege shall file an ALA indicating therein the number of days he/she intends to monetize.

f. Processing of ALA for

monetization

for ten (10) to thirty (30) days shall be decentralized to the respective Executive Assistants/Regional Adm. Officers/Provincial Adm. Officers while for

monetization

of up to 50% of the employee’s leave credits, processing shall be at the PBU-HRMD.

g. The formula to be used for the computation of leave

monetization

shall be as follows:

Monthly Salary

--------------------- x No. of days to be monetized = Money value of the

20.91667 monetized leave

where:

20.91667

is the equivalent number of days in a month for purposes of computation of leave

monetization

and

terminal leave

benefits (TLB) based on the formula for the constant factor (CF) as provided in Section II.A.8.6 of this SOP.

h. Employees who still have an accumulated vacation leave credits of at least ten (10) days after monetization shall still b...

h. Employees who still have an accumulated

vacation leave

credits of at least ten (10) days after

monetization

shall still be required to go on five (5) days forced/mandatory leave.

i. An employee who wishes to avail of the 50%

monetization

of his total accumulated sick and

vacation leave

credits shall submit the following requirements to PBU-HRMD:

letter-request stating the purpose of

monetization

duly endorsed by the proper

authorities

C.O. employees shall be endorsed by the respective heads of dept./office
R.O. employees shall be endorsed by the Regional Manager
P.O. employees shall be endorsed by the Provincial Manager and Regional Manager

Notarized medical certificate with the PTR/Lic. No. of attending physician, if request is due to illness of employee or immediate member of his family

Duly accomplished ALA, signed by the recommending official

Original copy of leave cards (for C.O. rank and file employees), certified photocopy of leave cards for current period (for F.O. rank and file employees)

For accountable officers, duly accomplished certificate of clearance from money and property accountabilities from previous and present places of assignment.

Maternity Leave

2.1. Married female employees shall, in addition to the vacation and

sick leave

granted them, be entitled to

maternity leave

of sixty (60) calendar days.

2.2. Employees who have rendered an aggregate of two (2) or more years in service shall be entitled to

maternity leave

of 60 calendar days with full pay.

2.3.

Maternity leave

of those who have rendered one (1) year or more but less than two (2) years of service shall be computed in proportion to their length of service, provided that those who have served for less than one (1) year shall be entitled to 60-days

maternity leave

with half-pay.

2.4. The computation for the number of days with full pay shall be based on the ratio of 60 days to 2 years (or 720 days) of service using the following formula:

where x = the number of days to be paid, and 720 = y y = the number of days in service

720x = 60y

x =

60y

720

x =

To illustrate, Employee A has rendered one year and six months of service or 540 days:

x =

540

x =

45 days

Employee A shall be entitled to 60 days maternity leave but shall receive full pay for only 45 days.

2.5.

Maternity leave

shall be granted to married female employees in every instance of

pregnancy

irrespective of its frequency. Thus, a married female may be granted

maternity leave

more than once a year.

2.6. Enjoyment of

maternity leave

cannot be deferred and should be availed of either before or after the actual period of delivery in a continuous and uninterrupted manner not exceeding sixty (60) calendar days.

2.7. An employee who wants to report back to duty before the expiration of her

maternity leave

may be allowed to do so provided she presents a medical certificate that she is physically fit to assume the duties of her position. In such instances, the commuted money value of the unexpired portion of the leave need not be refunded. The employee shall receive both the benefits granted under the

maternity leave

law and the salary for actual services rendered effective the day she reports back for work. The following formula shall be used in the computation of salary for this purpose:

Monthly salary rate

SALARY = -------------------------- X actual no. of days worked

22 days

2.8.

Maternity leave

with pay may still be granted to an employee who is no longer in service provided the delivery occurs not more than fifteen (15) calendar days after the termination of employees’ service as her right thereto has already accrued.

2.9. If already entitled, a female employee can still avail of sixty (60) days

maternity leave

with pay even if she is on extended

leave of absence

without pay.

2.10. A married female employee is entitled to maternity

leave of absence

with pay even if she has a pending administrative case.

2.11. Married contractual employees, whether or not receiving 20% premium on their salary shall be entitled to

maternity leave

benefits like regular employees.

3. Paternity Leave

3.1. Married male employees shall be entitled to

paternity leave

of seven (7) working days for a maximum of four (4) deliveries of his legitimate spouse with whom he is cohabiting. The first of the 4 deliveries shall be reckoned from the effectivity of the

Paternity Leave

Act on

July 15, 1996.

3.2. Married male employees with more than one (1) legal spouse shall be entitled to avail of

paternity leave

for an absolute maximum of four (4) deliveries regardless of whichever spouse gives birth.

3.3.

Paternity leave

shall be non-cumulative and strictly non-convertible to cash. It may be enjoyed either in a continuous or in an intermittent manner by the employee on the days immediately before, during or after the childbirth or miscarriage of his legitimate spouse.

4. Special Leave Privileges

4.1. In addition to the vacation, sick, maternity and

paternity leave

, officials and employees may be granted a maximum of three (3) days within a calendar year to avail of any or a combination of the following

special leave privileges

(a) funeral/mourning leave (f) hospitalization leave

(b) graduation leave (g) accident leave

(

d) wedding/anniversary leave (i) government transaction leave

(e) birthday leave (j) calamity leave

4.2. The three (3) day-

special leave privileges

shall be non-cumulative and non-commutative.

4.3. Employees applying for

special leave privileges

shall no longer be required to present proof that they are entitled to avail of such leave. However, they shall seek approval of their application at least one (1) week prior to its availment, except on emergency cases.

4.4. The

special leave privileges

may be availed of by the official/employee when the occasion is personal to him and that of his immediate family.

5. Rehabilitation Leave for Job-Related Injuries

5.1. Officials and employees on

leave of absence

on account of wounds or injuries incurred in the performance of his duty may be granted

rehabilitation leave

5.2. Absence in the case contemplated shall not be charged against the employee’s

sick leave

vacation leave

, if there are any.

5.3. Applications for

rehabilitation leave

must be supported by a medical certificate and evidence showing that the wounds or injuries were incurred in the performance of duty.

5.4. Approval of the

rehabilitation leave

shall be at the discretion of the NFA Administrator who shall have the sole authority to direct that the absence of an employee during his period of disability shall be on full pay, but not to exceed six (6) months. He shall also authorize the payment of medical attendance, necessary transportation, subsistence and hospital fees of the injured person.

5.5. An official/employee who is on

rehabilitation leave

still earns

vacation and sick leave credits

6. Study Leave

6.1.

Study leave

may be granted for the purpose of assisting qualified officials and employees to prepare for their bar or board examinations or to complete their master’s/doctorate degree.

6.2. An official/employee may avail of the

study leave

for a maximum of three (3) times only, each availment shall be for a different purpose (e.g. 1st availment is for bar/board exam, 2nd is for master’s degree, and 3rd is for completion of doctorate degree).

6.3. The

study leave

may be granted to an official/employee for a period not exceeding six (6) months with pay. For control purposes, however, the maximum allowable period of six months shall not be automatically granted. The maximum allowable period shall vary depending on the purpose for which the

study leave

is availed of as follows:

Purpose of

Study Leave

Maximum Allowable Period

Bar or Board Examination six (6) months

Completion of Doctorate Degree six (6) months

Completion of Master’s Degree w/ thesis six (6) months

b. non-thesis

comprehensive exam only one (1) month
case study/strategy paper one (1) month

w/ oral defense

comprehensive exam and case two (2) months

study or strategy paper w/

oral defense

6.4. The duration of the

study leave

shall not go beyond the scheduled date of examination/oral defense, e.g., if the bar examination is scheduled on September 15 and 22, the period covered by the

study leave

applied for should not be beyond September 22.

6.5. A department/office may only be allowed to send a maximum of two (2) employees to go on

study leave

at any one time so as not to affect existing and projected workloads.

6.6. The

study leave

shall be covered by a contract between the employee and the NFA Administrator or his authorized representative. The contract shall bind the employee to a service obligation corresponding to the period of his

study leave

computed as follows:

Period

Service Obligation

one month or less six months

more than one month to two months one year

more than two months to three months one year & six months

more than three months to four months two years

more than four months to five months two years & six months

more than five months to six months three (3) years

6.7. In case the official or employee fails to render in full the service obligation referred to in the contract on account of voluntary resignation, optional retirement, separation from the service through his own fault, or other causes within his control, he shall refund the gross salary, allowances and other benefits received while on

study leave

based on the following formula:

R =

(

SOR - SOS

)

x TCR

SOR

here: R = Refund

SOR = Service Obligation Required

SOS = Service Obligation Served

TCR = Total Compensation Received (Gross Salary, allowances and other benefits received while on

study leave

)

6.8. Requests for

study leave

shall be made by the employee using the prescribed form (

Exhibit 1

). The request shall be properly endorsed by the respective head of office/department to the MDD-HRMD for evaluation based on the following qualification requirements:

a. applicant must be a graduate of a bachelor’s degree which requires the passing of government bar and board licensure examination.

b. for thesis writing or comprehensive examination, applicant must have completed all the academic requirements for a master’s/doctorate degree.

c. the profession or field of study to be pursued must be relevant to the agency or to the official duties and responsibilities of the concerned employee.

d. applicant must have rendered at least two (2) years of service with at least VERY SATISFACTORY performance for the last two rating periods immediately preceding the application.

e. applicant must have no pending administrative and criminal charges as evidenced by a certificate of no pending administrative and criminal charges issued by the Department for Legal Affairs (DLA).

f. applicant must not have any current foreign or local scholarship grant.

g. applicant must have fulfilled the service obligation of any previous

study leave

, scholarship/training contract.

6.9. Requests for study leave shall be supported by the following documents:

a. duly accomplished Request for

study leave

properly endorsed by the head of office;

b. duly accomplished ALA indicating the purpose and period of

study leave

;

c. proof of enrollment (for completion of master’s/doctorate degree and for review classes if

study leave

application is for six months);

e. certification from school as to the tentative schedule of comprehensive examination (for completion of master’s/doctorate degree);

f. certification of no pending administrative/criminal case from DLA.

6.10.

All requests for

study leave

shall be acted upon by the MDD-HRMD within five (5) working days after receipt of request and the concerned employee shall be properly notified of the approval/disapproval of his request within such period. Employees whose requests were denied shall be informed of the reason thereof.

6.11. Processing and approval of applications for

study leave

shall be based on the number of days of

study leave

applied for, following the approved NFA Specification of Authority.

6.12. In case an official/employee fails to pursue the purpose for which the

study leave

was intended, he/she shall immediately inform the Human Resource Management Department (HRMD) in writing, through the respective head of office/department. In such cases, the actual number of

study leave

incurred shall be charged to the

vacation leave

credits of the official/employee, and if the official/employee has no more

vacation leave

credits, he/she shall refund the gross salary, allowances and other benefits received while on

study leave

based on the formula stated above in Section II.6.7 of this SOP.

6.13. At the end of the

study leave

, the official/employee shall submit to MDD-HRMD, an evidence or proof that he had actually taken the exam or completed the purpose for which the

study leave

was availed.

6.14. The Executive Assistant of each department/office shall submit to the HRMD-MDD on a per semester basis a list of the employees/officials in their department/office who availed of the

study leave

6.15 The MDD-HRMD shall monitor the implementation of the employees’

study leave

nationwide to ensure that the purpose of the leave is accomplished.

7. Sabbatical Leave

7.1.

Sabbatical leave

is granted to a Career Executive Service Officers (CESOs) or a CES Eligible who is an incumbent of CES position and who has served the CES for at least five (5) years and whose performance rating under the CES Performance Evaluation System is at least very satisfactory for five (5) consecutive years.

7.2. The

sabbatical leave

aims to provide CESO and CES Eligibles with the opportunity to further their professional development and growth. It shall also serve as a venue for creativity and demonstration of the official’s executive excellence where their personal expertise is utilized for public service outside of the Career Executive Service. It is granted as a reward and incentive to officials for their very satisfactory performance and as an encouragement for their future high performance.

7.3. The

sabbatical leave

may take any of the following forms:

a. Sabbatical for personal growth, i.e., teaching in a state university or college, pursuit of advance studies, or other forms of professional advancement, secondment to an international organization, research or book writing; and,

b. Sabbatical for public service, i.e., involvement in a countryside development project of a local government unit (LGU), or of an accredited non-governmental organization or rendering assistance to an LGU where his expertise is required.

7.4. A

sabbatical leave

may be enjoyed once every five (5) years of service in a CES position except when the official concerned is in his last two (2) years of service prior to compulsory retirement.

7.5. A

sabbatical leave

shall be for a period of not more than six (6) months. In the event that the purpose of the leave shall be accomplished within a period of less than six (6) months, the unused portion of the leave shall be forfeited and shall not be added to the official’s vacation or

sick leave

7.6. The officials going on

sabbatical leave

at any one time shall not exceed ten percent (10%) of the total number of CESOs and CES eligibles occupying CES positions at the NFA.

7.7. Applications for

sabbatical leave

shall be filed with the Manpower Development Division-HRMD at least seven (7) months before the proposed

sabbatical leave

for evaluation. The application shall be accompanied by two (2) copies of the official’s

sabbatical leave

plan. The

sabbatical leave

plan shall indicate the following:

a. the purpose and nature of the

sabbatical leave

;

b. the expected outputs;

c. an action plan of implementation including time frame, duration and post sabbatical activities like information sharing for project replicability;

d. the organization or institution with whose projects or activities the official intends to spend his

sabbatical leave

; and,

e. proof of acceptance by the organization or institution of the official’s participation in its project through his

sabbatical leave

7.8. Applications found to be meritorious shall be recommended by the NFA Administrator for approval of the CES Board. However, when the exigency of the service requires, the NFA Adminisrator may also recommend the deferment or postponement of the

sabbatical leave

to some later date but within the calendar year.

79. The

sabbatical leave

applications shall be evaluated by MDD-HRMD within a month from receipt. The MDD-HRMD shall inform the official concerned within the same period of the action taken on his/her application, whether the application is not recommended for approval or endorsed to the CES Board for approval or deferment. In case of deferment or disapproval, the official concerned shall be informed of the reasons in writing.

7.10. Applications for

sabbatical leave

favorably acted upon by the NFA Administrator must be endorsed to the CES Board for final action six (6) months before the proposed leave. The Board shall act on the

sabbatical leave

application within thirty (30) days from receipt of such endorsement. The Board may approve or disapprove the

sabbatical leave

application on the basis of its evaluation of the

sabbatical leave

plan and the expected results.

7.11. An official on

sabbatical leave

shall be entitled to the payment of his salary and other benefits such as bonuses, 13th month pay, and other allowances during the period of such leave. Where the activities performed under the

sabbatical leave

allow for payment of honoraria/allowances by the host institution, the official shall be entitled to the same in addition to his salary, provided, that the allowance shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of his monthly salary.

7.12. An official going on

sabbatical leave

shall have the following obligations:

a. Ensure the completion of his

sabbatical leave

plan during its approved duration;

b. If for any valid reasons, the official is unable to continue with his plan implementation, the official shall immediately inform the NFA Administrator and the CES Board so that remedial actions may be undertaken;

c. Report back for work immediately at the end of his

sabbatical leave

, and within a month of his return, submit a report to the NFA Administrator on his

sabbatical leave

and undertake the necessary post sabbatical activities identified in his plan. A copy of the report shall be furnished the CES Board.

d. Shall not engage in any form of employment while on

sabbatical leave

7.13. Where available, an official going on

sabbatical leave

may avail of grants in support of his

sabbatical leave

plan implementation.

7.14. An official who fails to complete and/or accomplish the objectives of his

sabbatical leave

plan for no valid reason shall refund all salaries and benefits he has received while on

sabbatical leave

. He shall also be disqualified from participation in and/or enjoyment of future

sabbatical leave

7.15 The MDD-HRMD shall monitor the officials’

sabbatical leave

to ensure that the purpose of the leave is accomplished.

8. Terminal Leave

8.1. Any official/employee of the government who retires, voluntarily resigns or is separated from the service who is not otherwise covered by special law, shall be entitled to

terminal leave

/commutation of his leave credits exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and holidays without limitation and regardless of the period when the credits were earned.

8.2.

Terminal leave

is applied for by an official or employee who intends to sever his connection with his employer. Accordingly, the filing of application for

terminal leave

requires as a condition sine qua non, the employee’s resignation, retirement or separation from the service with or without any fault on his part. It must be shown first that public employment cease by any of the said modes of severances.

8.3. An official or employee who has been penalized with dismissal from the service is not barred from entitlement to his

terminal leave

benefits.

8.4. All applications for commutation of

terminal leave

shall be submitted to the NFA Administrator for approval.

8.5. Payment of

terminal leave

for purposes of retirement or voluntary resignation shall be based on the highest monthly salary received at any time during his period of employment in the government service and not on his latest salary unless the latter is the highest received by the retiree.

8.6. Effective January 15, 1999, the

terminal leave

benefits shall be computed using the following formula:

TLB = S

Where:

TLB -

Terminal Leave

Benefits

S - Highest monthly salary received

D - No. of accumulated vacation and sick leave credits

CF - Constant Factor which is .0478087

The Constant Factor was derived from this formula:

365 = days in a year

104 = Saturdays and Sundays in a year

10 = Legal holidays (as provided by EO 292) in a year

12 12

------------------------- = --------- = .0478087

365 - (104 + 10) 251

Based on the above factor, the equivalent number of days in a month is 1/ .0478087

20.91667

. For purposes of computing

termina

l leave

benefits and leave

monetization

, this factor shall be applied.

8.1. Request for payment of

terminal leave

benefits must be brought within ten (10) years from the time the right of action accrues upon an obligation created by law.

9. Forced/Mandatory Leave

9.1. All officials and employees with ten (10) days or more

vacation leave

credits shall be required to go on

vacation leave

whether continuous or intermittent for a minimum of five (5) working days annually under the following conditions:

a. The head of department/office shall, upon prior consultation with the employees, prepare a staggered schedule of the mandatory five-day

vacation leave

of officials and employees, provided that he may, in the exigency of the service, cancel any previously scheduled leave.

b. The mandatory annual five-day

vacation leave

shall be forfeited if not taken during the year. However, in cases where the scheduled leave has been cancelled in the exigency of the service by the head of the department/office, the scheduled leave not enjoyed shall no longer be deducted from the total accumulated

vacation leave

c. Officials and employees who retire/resign from the service in a particular year without completing the calendar year shall not be deducted the corresponding leave credits if concerned official/employee opted not to avail of the required five-day mandatory vacation leave.

d. Those with accumulated vacation leave of less than ten (10) days shall have the option to go on forced leave or not. However, officials and employees with accumulated vacation leave of fifteen (15) days who availed of

monetization

for ten (10) days shall still be required to go on forced leave.

9.1. Half-day

leave of absence

which were deducted from vacation leave credits shall also be counted as part of an employee’s forced/mandatory leave.

B. Filing of Application for

Leave

of Absence

1. All absences for one full day or more shall be properly covered by an Application for

Leave of Absence

(ALA- Exhibit 2).

Leave of absence

incurred for one-half (1/2) day need not be filed and shall be deducted from vacation leave credits except when the half-day leave incurred is for health reasons. In such cases, the employee shall file an ALA indicating SL in the appropriate portion.

2. Newly hired employees who have not yet earned leave credits shall likewise file an ALA when going on leave.

3. Application for

Sick Leave

3.1. Application for

sick leave

shall be filed immediately upon the employee’s return from such leave. The employee, however, is required, during the period of his illness, to notify his immediate supervisor through the fastest means available, of his inability to report for work. Failure to comply with the said requirement shall be considered as Violation of Reasonable Office Rules and Regulations, which under Executive order 292 (otherwise known as the Administrative Code of 1987) is treated as light offense with the corresponding degrees of penalty:

1st offense - reprimand

2nd offense - suspension for 1- 30 days

3rd offense - dismissal

32.

Sick leave

may be applied for in advance in cases where the official or employee will undergo medical examination or operation or advised to rest in view of ill health duly supported by a medical certificate attesting to the employee’s illness or that of any member of his immediate family.

33. In ordinary application for

sick leave

already taken not exceeding five (5) days, the head of department or agency concerned may duly determine whether or not granting of

sick leave

is proper under the circumstances. In case of doubt, a medical certificate may be required.

3.4. Medical certificate for

sick leave

exceeding five (5) days shall be issued by the NFA Physicians only if prior consultation was made with them before the employee went on leave. For employees referred by the NFA Physicians to the appropriate medical specialists, the attending specialist or physician shall issue the necessary medical certificate covering his

leave of absence

3.5. In case of doubt, the head of office/department may request the Health Services Unit (HSU) to conduct a spot check on the employees to verify their health condition regardless of the number of days of leave.

3.6. Approval of

sick leave

, whether with pay or without pay is mandatory provided proof of sickness or disability is attached to the application in accordance with the requirements prescribed in this SOP. Unreasonable delay in the approval thereof or non-approval without justifiable reason shall be a ground for appropriate sanction against the official concerned

4. Application for Vacation Leave

4.1. Application for vacation

leave of absence

for one (1) full day or more shall be submitted five (5) days in advance of the effective date of such leave.

4.2. The grant of vacation leave shall be at the discretion of the head of department/agency. Thus, mere filing of vacation leave applications does not entitle the employee to go on leave outright. The employee shall see to it that his leave application is approved by proper authorities before going on leave.

5. Applications for

special leave privileges

shall be submitted at least one (1) week prior to its availment except on emergency cases.

6. All applications for

leave of absence

including

terminal leave

shall be acted upon by the head of agency or his duly authorized representative within five (5) working days upon receipt, otherwise, it shall be deemed approved.

7. Disapproval of Application for Leave of Absence (ALAs).

7.1. ALAs of employees who absent themselves from work before the approval of their applications should be disapproved outright.

7.2. In case of claim of ill-health, heads of department/offices may verify the validity of such claim and, if not satisfied with the reason given, should disapprove the application for

sick leave

7.3. Applications for vacation leave may be disapproved, as may be deemed necessary by the head of office, in the exigency of service.

Unauthorized Leave

8.1. An official or employee who is absent without approved leave shall be considered on

unauthorized leave

e.g., (a) employees who go on leave without prior approval of the immediate supervisor, and (b) employees who go on leave despite the disapproval of their leave applications.

8.2. Unauthorized

leave of absence

shall be considered as leave without pay and as such, the official/employee shall not be entitled to receive his salary corresponding to the period of his unauthorized

leave of absence

. However, his absence shall no longer be deducted from his accumulated leave credits, if there are any.

9. Any violation of the leave laws, rules and regulations or any misrepresentation or deception in connection with an application for leave shall be a ground for disciplinary action.

C. Processing of Leave Applications

1. Application for leave of absence shall be processed at the Administrative Unit/Section of the respective departments/Executive Offices/RegionalOffices/ Provincial Offices and at the Personnel Benefits Unit of the Human Resource Management Department (PBU-HRMD) as specified below. Approval of ALAs shall be in accordance with the approved NFA Specification of Authority.

	Processing Office	Recommending Approval	Approval
I. NFA EXECUTIVES/OFFICIALS
1. Deputy Adm./Special Asst. (regardless of the number of days)	PBU-HRMD		Administrator
2. Assistant Administrators regardless of the number of days)	PBU-HRMD	Deputy Administrator (DA) concerned	Administrator
1. Dept. Mgrs./Reg’l. Mgrs. Maternity leave and leave of less than 30 calendar days 30 calendar days or more	PBU-HRMD PBU-HRMD	AA concerned (AAAdm. for Staff Offices and RMs) DA* concerned (DAFA for Staff Off., DAO & DAFA for Regional Offices)	DA* concerned (DAFA for Staff Offices and RMs) Administrator
1. Asst. Dept. Mgrs./Asst. Regl. Grains Center Complx Maternity leave and leave of less than 30 calendar days	Mgrs./Div.Chiefs PBU-HRMD	/Provincial. Mgrs. or Dept. Manager for CO Reg’l. Mgr. for FO Head of Staff (for Executive Offices)	equiv. rank, Heads of AA concerned(AAAdm. for Staff Off.& FO) DA concerned for the DA’s Offices DAFA for Administrator’s Office
30 calendar days or more (ALAs of Head of Staff of Executive Off. shall follow the same specifications but no recommending official)	PBU - HRMD	AA concerned for CO (AAAdm. for Staff Off) Reg’l. Mgr. for FO Head of Staff for Dep. Adm. Offices	DA concerned (DAFA for Staff Off., Adm. Office & FO)
II. RANK & FILE EMPLOYEES
1. Gr. Levels 22 & below except	Adm. Assistants	/Adm. Officers
C.O. Departments Maternity leave and leave of less than 30 calendar days 30 to less than 90 calendar days 90 calendar days or more	Respective Departments PBU-HRMD PBU-HRMD	Division Chief** (DC) DM concerned AA concerned (AAAdm. for Staff Offices)	Department Manager* (DM) AA concerned (AAAdm. for staff offices) DA concerned(DAFA for Staff Offices)
Executive Offices Maternity leave and leave of less than 30 calendar days	Respective Offices	Head of Staff	AA concerned for AA’s Offices DA concerned for DA’s Offices DAFA for Adm. Off.
30 to less than 90 calendar days 90 calendar days	PBU-HRMD PBU-HRMD	Head of Staff AA concerned	same as above DA concerned (DAFA for AO)
Field Offices Maternity leave and leave of less than 30 calendar days 30 to less than 90 calendar days 90 calendar days or more	PO (for PO employees) RO (for RO employees) PO (for PO employees) RO (for RO employees) RO	PM/OIC (for APMs) APM (for other PO R&F employees) Unit Head (for RO employees) PM/OIC (PO) ARM (RO) RM	PM/OIC (for PO employees) ARM (for APMs and RO employees) RM DAFA
2. Adm. Assistants/Officers
CO Adm. Assistants Maternity Leave and leave of less than 30 calendar days 30 calendar days or more	PBU-HRMD PBU-HRMD	DM concerned Head of Staff (for Executive offices) AAAdm.	HRMD DM DAFA
Provincial Adm. Officers Maternity Leave and leave of less than 30 calendar days 30 to less than 90 calendar days 90 calendar days or more	RO RO RO	PM/OIC RM RM	RM AAAdm. DAFA
Regional Adm. Officers Maternity Leave and leave of less than 30 calendar days 30 to less than 90 calendar days 90 calendar days or more	PBU-HRMD PBU-HRMD PBU-HRMD	RM RM RM	HRMD DM AAAdm. DAFA
All ALAs for terminal leave, 50% monetization, rehabilitation leave of officials and employees regardless of position shall be subject to the approval of the Administrator.
ALAs of officials and employees regardless of position for purposes of travel abroad regardless of the number of days shall also be subject to the approval of the Administrator.
Any of the Assistant or Deputy Administrators can act in behalf of the other in the absence of one.
Only the specified officials shall be written as signatories in the recommending and approval portions of the ALA. Immediate supervisors may only affix their initials under the name of the final recommending authority.

* Official next lower-in-rank can execute the required action in the absence of the authorized official.

** Official next higher-in-rank can execute the required action in the absence of the authorized official

2. Applications for leave of absence shall be supported by the following documents:

2.1. Vacation leave of more than 30 calendar days

clearance from property and financial accountability

2.2.

Sick leave

SL exceeding 5 working days

medical certificate

SL of more than 30 calendar days

medical certificate
clearance from property and financial accountability

SL filed in advance regardless of number of days

medical certificate

2.3.

Maternity leave

marriage contract
clearance from property and financial accountability
medical certificate

2.4.

Paternity leave

certified photocopy of marriage contract
- medical certificate (with pathology reports in case of abortion/miscarriage) duly signed by the attending physician or midwife showing the actual date of the childbirth or miscarriage.

2.5.

Rehabilitation leave

medical certificate
clearance from property and financial accountability (for leave of 30 calendar days or more)
police/accident report
employee’s actual duties and responsibilities certified by the head of office

2.6.

Study leave

clearance from property and financial accountability (for leave of 30 calendar days or more)
Study Leave Request form duly evaluated and favorably acted upon by HRMD-MDD including all the supporting documents

2.7.

Sabbatical leave

clearance from property and financial accountability (for leave of 30 calendar days or more)
two (2) copies of the official’s sabbatical leave plan.

For ALAs to be processed at HRMD but leave card is maintained at respective departments/offices, the original copy of leave card shall be submitted to PBU-HRMD properly endorsed by the head of the concerned department/office.

D. Absenteeism/Tardiness

1. The Executive Asst./Administrative Officer of each department/office shall be responsible for monitoring the absences and tardiness/undertime of rank and file employees while the Personnel Benefits Unit of the HRMD shall be responsible for monitoring the absences and tardiness/undertime of NFA executives.

2. Tardiness

and undertime shall be deducted

from vacation leave credits and shall not be charged against

sick leave credits

, unless the undertime is for health reasons supported by medical certificate and application for leave.

3. Computation of undertime/tardiness shall be based on the actual number of hours and minutes incurred by an employee. It shall be converted into a fraction of a day using the following formula:

number of minutes late/undertime

480 minutes

A conversion table is provided (refer to

Table IV

) for easy reference.

4. Offsetting of tardiness or absences by working for an equivalent number of minutes or hours by which an official or employee has been tardy or absent, beyond the regular or approved working hours of the official/employee concerned, shall not be allowed.

5. Half-day absences, although deducted from vacation leave credits, shall not be considered as undertime or tardiness.

6. An official or employee shall be considered

habitually tardy

if he incurs tardiness and/or undertime regardless of the number of minutes, ten (10) times a month for at least two (2) months in a semester or for two (2) consecutive months during the year.

7. An official or employee shall be considered

habitually absent

if he incurs unauthorized absences exceeding the allowable 2.5 days monthly leave earnings under the leave law for at least three (3) months in a semester or for three (3) consecutive months during the year.

8. Sanctions for habitual tardiness and absenteeism are as follows:

a. First Violation. The employee, after due proceedings, shall be meted the penalty of six (6) months and one (1) day to one (1) year suspension without pay.

b. Second Violation. The employee, after due proceedings, shall be dismissed from the service.

9. The Executive Assistants of the C.O. Departments and the Administrative Officers of the Field Offices shall submit a monthly

Personnel Attendance and Leave Balances Report

(Exhibit 3) to HRMD copy furnished the respective Regional Offices (for Provincial Offices) based on the accomplished time cards. The accomplished time cards shall be forwarded to DAS-CIAD only after the monthly

Personnel Attendance and Leave Balances Report

have been prepared.

10. The respective heads of offices shall be responsible for monitoring and ensuring that rules, policies and procedures on

leave of absence

are strictly implemented and complied with especially those applicable to prolonged and unauthorized absences.

E. Maintenance of Perpetual Leave Cards

1. Leave credits earned as well as

leave of absence

s and tardiness/undertime incurred by each official or employee shall be recorded in the perpetual leave card (Exhibit 4). The type of leave availed by the employee shall be properly reflected in the leave card and all entries made thereon shall bear the initials of the leave processor. The leave card shall be updated monthly.

2. The perpetual leave cards of rank and file employees shall be maintained at the respective offices/departments while those of the NFA executives and Executive Assistants (C.O.) and Regional Administrative Officers shall be at PBU-HRMD. Leave cards of Provincial Administrative Officers shall be maintained at their respective regional offices.

3. In case of transfer or reassignment, the originating office shall transmit the original leave cards of the transferred/reassigned employee to his/her new work station. However, a duplicate copy of the leave cards shall be maintained at the originating office for reference.

4. Leave cards of all retired/resigned employees shall be surrendered at PBU-HRMD.

F. Audit of Leave Cards

1. HRMD shall conduct spot checking of leave cards being maintained by the Executive Assistants/Administrative Officers to check the veracity of entries made by the leave processors.

2. IAS shall conduct an annual audit of leave cards of Central Office and Field Office officials and employees.

G. Other Provisions

1. Absences Without Approved Leave (AWOL)

1.1. An official or employee who is continuously absent without approved leave for at least thirty (30) calendar days shall be considered on absence without official leave (AWOL) and

shall be separated from the service or dropped from the rolls

without prior notice

However, the employee must be informed of his separation from the service at his address appearing on his 201 files not later than five (5) days from its effectivity.

1.2. If the number of unauthorized absences incurred is less than thirty (30) calendar days, a written Return-to-Work Order (RWO) shall be served to the employee at his last known address on record. Failure on his part to report for work within the period stated in the order shall be a valid ground to drop him from the rolls.

1.3. The concerned head of office shall be responsible for the issuance of the RWO to the employee on AWOL, cc HRMD. In case the employee fails to report for work within the period specified in the RWO, the concerned head of office shall prepare a written request to HRMD to drop the employee from the rolls.

1.4. The HRMD Department Manager shall be responsible for the proper notification of the employee on AWOL of his separation from the service/dropping from the rolls within five (5) days from its effectivity.

2. Absence on a regular day for which suspension of work is announced.

An official or employee who failed to report for work on a regular day for which suspension of work was declared after the start of regular working hours shall not be considered absent for the whole day. Instead, he shall only be deducted leave credits corresponding to the amount of time from the start of official working hours up to the time when suspension of work was announced.

3. Effect of Pending Administrative Case Against an Official or Employee

An official or employee with pending administrative case is not barred from enjoying leave privileges.

4. Effect of Exoneration from Criminal/Administrative Case

In general, officials and employees who have been dismissed from the service but who were later exonerated and thereafter reinstated, are entitled to the

vacation/sick leave credits

during the period they were out of the service.

5. Effect of Absences on other Employee Benefits

5.1.

Forfeiture of RATA.

Officials who are on vacation, sick or maternity

leave of absence

with or without pay for the whole calendar month shall not be allowed to collect RATA in accordance with the provisions of SOP No. HR-PB28 - Revised SOP on the Payment of RATA.

5.2.

Non-entitlement to Rice Allowance

. Officials and employees who are entitled to the monthly rice allowance pursuant to SOP No. HR-PB30 -

Revised SOP on Rice Allowance

shall no longer be entitled to receive such benefit if:

g. employee has been absent without official leave (AWOL) continuously for ten (10) working days in a given month, or

h. employee failed to meet the 7-day attendance requirement as follows:

must have at least seven (7) days attendance for the month which may not necessarily be successive, or ;
if on leave, must have at least seven (7) days leave with pay for the month, or
combination of leave with pay and attendance which totals to at least seven (7) days for the month.

6. Effect of Vacation Leave without Pay on Length of Service Step Increment

For purposes of computing the length of service step increment, approved vacation leave without pay for an aggregate of fifteen (15) days shall not interrupt the continuity of the three-year service requirement for the grant of step increment. However, if the total number of authorized vacation leave without pay included within the three-year period exceeds fifteen (15) days, the grant of one-step increment will only be delayed for the same number of days that an official or employee was absent without pay.

III. RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Filing/Processing/Approval of ALA

1. NFA Officials and Employees

Accomplishes and signs ALA in three (3) copies.

Attaches the required supporting documents to ALA.
Forwards ALA to recommending official.

2. Recommending Official

Signs on the recommending approval portion of the ALA.

- records leave applied (type and number of days) in the perpetual leave card deducting same from the available balance of leave earnings

- reflects new leave balance of employees on the leave card.

Affixes initials of processor on all entries made.
- Forwards processed ALA to the approving official for his signature.

4. Approving Official

Approves/disapproves ALA
Retains copy # 2 of the approved ALA for reference and file.
Forwards copy #3 of the approved ALA to employee for his file.
Updates leave card of employees at the end of the month

B. Reporting/Monitoring of Absences/UDT/Tardiness

1. Executive Assistant/Administrative Officer/PBU-HRMD Processor

Prepares monthly Personnel Attendance and Leave Balances Report and submits to PBU-HRMD (for CO and RO employees) and to the Regional Office (for PO employees)
Recommends imposition of appropriate sanctions to habitually absent/tardy employees.

2. Head of Office

Ensures that rules, policies and procedures on leave of absence are strictly implemented and complied with especially those applicable to prolonged and unauthorized absences.

The foregoing SOP supersedes SOP No. HR-PB27 dated November 07, 1996 and amendments issued thereto. All other rulings and/or issuances inconsistent herewith are also hereby superseded.

IV. FLOW CHART
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EXHIBITS

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