BARMM workers now entitled to seven days of paid bereavement leave

COTABATO CITY - The Bangsamoro Parliament has passed the Bangsamoro Bereavement Leave Act of 2025, granting employees in the region the right to seven days of paid leave each year following the death of an immediate family member.

The law, authored by Members of the Parliament Hashim Abdullah and Romeo Sema, was unanimously approved on its third and final reading.

According to MP Sema, this is the first of its kind in the Philippines and is set to provide crucial support to workers during difficult times.

The new law applies to all workers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, regardless of employment status, allowing them to take paid leave in the event of the death of an immediate family member.

It covers legitimate spouses, biological or adoptive parents or legal guardians, children or legal wards, legitimate parents-in-law, and full-blood siblings.

Under the law, employees in both public and private sectors are entitled to full pay during their bereavement leave.

Weekends and holidays are excluded from the seven-day count, and the leave cannot be carried over or converted into cash.

The law aims to support employees during difficult times, allowing them to grieve without the worry of losing income.

Employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who take the leave and must act on leave requests within five working days. If not, the request will automatically be approved.

Small and microenterprises are not required to provide this benefit, but employees are still entitled to the leave without fear of retaliation.

Employers may request documentation, such as a death certificate, to process the leave. The law will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Bangsamoro Gazette or a regional newspaper. The Ministry of Labor and Employment and the BARMM Civil Service Commission will also issue guidelines for the law’s implementation within 60 days (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)