The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) on Monday appealed to employers to consider advancing the payment of the 13th-month pay to their workers.

“We ask for the understanding and consideration of our employers to give the 13th-month pay of their employees a little bit earlier so that they can budget what they need to buy,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said during a year-end media conference.

While the law mandates the payment of the 13th-month pay on or before 24 December, Laguesma said an earlier disbursement would benefit workers, especially amid rising prices.

Under Philippine labor law, all rank-and-file employees in the private sector, regardless of position or employment status, are entitled to a 13th-month pay equivalent to at least one-twelfth of their total basic salary earned in a calendar year.