Team Building Expenses, whou should shoulder it?

Our company is having its annual team building and its a 2 day event out-of-town. I'm currently enrolled on a review in preparation for Board exam and I've chosen the weekend slot(Sat and Sun) as my schedule because its fitting in line w/ my job. Back to the subject, our company decided that the said event will be held on a weekend, w/c in time I chose my review over it, the HR Dept had sent a letter regarding on the event and that its a must, and anyone who can't join would pay the ff:

1. absent w/o pay for sat(our work sched is from mon to sat)
2. expense allotted to the employee

The said expense could reach Php 4,000.00 and that represents my salary for half a month, it really is burdensome for me since I am also a student.

I am asking now about who should really shoulder those expenses on the company event? And I think the expense the HR said is a way to make their employee attend the event, but still, last year, about 5 to 10 employees can't attend and their salary was deducted for the day they didn't come.

Thanks in advance. Good day!

it's a company event and they are shouldering the expense.. now if you don't join, then you have to pay the alloted expense for you as you are included in the package.. nothing wrong with that.

I want to add an info about these, prior to my review which is about a month ago, I've sent a letter informing them that I have my class schedule for weekend, we had an agreement that my working hours will be extended to for an hour to compensate for Saturday absence. Am I not excused for the event and that the company shoudn't have included me on the package? Why?