A lawmaker on Monday proposed the establishment of a three-year pilot program for telecommuting or work-from-home arrangements in select local industries to reduce traffic congestion in Metro Manila and other urban centers and reduce business costs as well.
Rep. LRay Villafuerte wants the Department of Labor and Employment should take the lead in institutionalizing telecommuting or the work-from-home policy to also raise workers’ efficiency, and increase the chances for employment for circumstantially marginalized individuals such as stay-at-home parents, persons with disabilities, retirees and those living in far-flung areas.
Villafuerte’s proposal was contained in House Bill 5630 which mandates DOLE to “set up and maintain a telecommuting pilot program, which will be used to monitor and evaluate the work-from-home scheme.
“Section 8 of HB 5630 states that “the DOLE shall establish and maintain a Telecommuting Pilot Program in select industries, which shall last for a period of not more than three years.”
“The DOLE shall be responsible for baselining, scoping and profiling research work prior to implementation, regular quarterly monitoring and evaluation. At the end of the period of the program, the DOLE shall submit a report to the Congress,” Villafuerte, vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations, said.
Villafuerte said telecommuting will enhance productivity among employees and improve public health in light of studies pointing to long commutes as one cause of chronic stress and other health disorders such as higher blood pressure levels that lead to cardiac attacks, diabetes and other killer diseases.
Citing a CNN report on a 2012 study by the Washington University in St. Louis, Villafuerte noted thatlong commutes are associated with higher weight, lower fitness levels, and higher blood pressure—all strong predictors of heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
“The study notes that being exposed to the daily hassles of traffic can lead to higher chronic stress that makes people vulnerable to other diseases and depression,” Villafuerte said.
The traffic crisis has also been taking its toll on the economy, said Villafuerte, pointing to a separate study conducted by the Japan International Coordination Agency (JICA) that foresaw traffic costs in Manila to increase to P6 billion a day by 2030 from P2.4 billion per day in 2015.
“Thus, institutionalizing new and alternative modes of working made possible through the use of modern technology is very timely in light of the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila and the increasingly unpredictable weather,” Villafuerte said.
Villafuerte urged the House leadership to prioritize the passage of his telecommuting bill, especially now that the Senate has passed its own version of the measure on final reading before the 17th Congress’ sine die adjournment.
A counterpart bill filed by Senators Cynthia Villar and Joel Villanueva was approved by the Senate on third and final reading last May 22.
“We hope that our colleagues in the House would be able act fast in approving this bill when the 17th Congress opens for its Second Regular Session in July as this would, on top of its many advantages, benefit employees who have mobility restrictions such as those with physical disabilities,” Villafuerte said.
Villafuerte’s bill also provides that work-from-home employees get fair treatment, by compelling employers to provide them the same workload and performance standards, regular and overtime pay rates, extra monetary benefits, access to training and career growth opportunities, and collective rights being received by others working in their respective employers’ premises.
Villafuerte noted that telecommuting should now be an available option for workers, given the detrimental effects on health of spending long hours daily on traffic jams.