Workers who report for duty in the dead of night could get a bigger pay premium if a bill authored by Senator Loren Legarda becomes law.
At a glance
- Who: Senator Loren Legarda, author of Senate Bill No. 2585
- What: double the minimum night shift differential for covered private workers, 10 percent to 20 percent
- When it applies: 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM
- Background: the 10 percent minimum dates to 1974
Legarda said she is pushing Senate Bill No. 2585, which would raise the minimum night shift differential for covered private sector employees from 10 percent to 20 percent. The proposal covers every hour of work from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
Same rate since 1974
In a post on her official Facebook page, Legarda noted that the 10 percent minimum has stood for more than 50 years. Graphics in the post put it in two lines: the law is from 1974, and it is 2026 now.
“The sleeplessness, fatigue and sacrifice of those who work at night deserve fairer compensation,” Legarda said, according to a translation of her Filipino post.
What night work costs
The post says working at night brings fatigue, effects on health, a harder commute and less time with family and loved ones. It adds that the sacrifice of night shift workers does not end when their working hours do.
Higher rates not touched
Workers who already enjoy more than 10 percent would not be worse off. According to the post, a higher night shift differential that is already provided under a collective bargaining agreement, an employment contract, company policy or practice, or another legal arrangement would not be reduced.
About the bill
SB 2585 is an act amending Article 86 of Presidential Decree No. 442, the Labor Code of the Philippines. Legarda’s post did not give the bill’s current status in the Senate, and a higher rate in a contract or policy would not be reduced under it. Credit: Office of Senator Loren Legarda, from her official Facebook post of November 11, 2026.
