Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday urged both the government and private sector to embrace flexible work arrangements to match the evolving preferences of young Filipino workers.
“Delaying action risks losing our youth to opportunities abroad or to employers better aligned with their needs. We need to keep up with the rapid changes of the times,” he said.
The senator said the Department of Labor and Employment should implement stronger guidelines to support remote workers, especially in the growing freelance and digital sectors.
He also called for focused skills development programs that will prepare Filipino workers for new and emerging digital job roles.
Although Republic Act No. 11165, or the Telecommuting Law, allows voluntary remote work in the private sector, many firms have reverted to hybrid or full on-site work after the pandemic lockdowns.
This law, enacted in 2018, institutionalized telecommuting and aimed to provide equal rights and benefits to employees working remotely.
However, the widespread return to office settings highlighted the limitations of current policies in addressing the long-term shift toward remote and flexible work setups.
In the previous Congress, Senate Bill No. 136 and House Bill No. 6718 proposed enhanced protections for freelance workers but failed to pass and will need to be refiled in the 20th Congress.
