Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 1) — Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said while private employees in Alert Level 1 areas are still allowed to work from home, this arrangement is “not encouraged” as it is seen to hamper economic recovery.
On-site work is optional despite the easing of restrictions, but Lopez stressed this would stimulate spending and help businesses which have suffered losses due to the pandemic.
“Kapag lumalabas ‘yung mga tao, mas marami pang pwedeng gastusan papunta at pauwi, so nabubuhay ‘yung businesses around the area. Maraming natutulungan dito na mga MSMEs (micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises), ‘yung mga nag-nenegosyo malapit sa opisina,” he said in a Cabinet meeting aired Monday night.
[Translation: When people go out, they spend money on their way to and from work, so they help businesses around the area survive. This helps a lot of MSMEs, especially those near offices.]
But for the Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing sector, maintaining a flexible work arrangement will help the industry sustain its growth.
Metro Manila and 38 other areas in the country are now under the lowest alert level status following the steady drop in new COVID-19 cases. Lopez welcomed the shift, which he said would help the country achieve full economic recovery.
Jack Madrid, president and CEO of IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, told CNN Philippines that their industry “was one of the very few that actually grew” despite the global health crisis – noting an 8% increase in head count and 12% increase in revenue in 2021. The same trends are seen for the IT-BPO sector this year, he added.
Madrid also pointed out that companies’ sentiment is moving towards a hybrid arrangement – a combination of working on site and working from home.
The group is pushing to extend remote work incentives policy until September to ensure smooth transition towards this new work setup, which will allow BPO industry workers to “safely get back into work while accommodating their preferred hybrid work arrangement,” he noted.
In a statement, Malacañang said the work-from-home option only applies to those in the private sector. It reminded that all government agencies and instrumentalities “shall adhere to a 100% on-site workforce” under Alert Level 1.
