Robredo urges employers to consider work-from-home scheme

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo has appealed to the government and the private sector to consider implementing a work-from-home scheme as the number of people who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country increased.

“We call on our fellow officials in the government and also in the private sector, maybe it’s time to consider a work-from-home scheme as long as it won’t sacrifice the services we provide the public,” Robredo said in a video posted on YouTube.

President Duterte, however, turned down such proposal, at least for government employees, during his press conference late Monday.

“You know, government has to function. We need all, at least now, we need all,” the President said.

Meanwhile, Robredo also called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to strictly enforce a price freeze on products that would help people avoid COVID-19.

“For DTI, we hope there would be stricter measures against profiteers who hoard these products,” the Vice President said.

Robredo also continued to urge the public to remain calm and cooperate with authorities for “fast and effective” contact tracing.

“There’s no reason to panic,” she said, noting that experts from the government and the private sector are doing their best to prevent the spread of the virus.

Latest data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed the Philippines has a total of 49 confirmed cases of COVID-19, a majority of whom are exhibiting mild to moderate symptoms, with two in critical condition. 

Duterte has suspended classes in all levels in Metro Manila this week to protect the students from the virus after the DOH confirmed local transmission of COVID-19.

Displaced workers

Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay said the regions of Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Central Luzon and SOCCSKSARGEN reported thousands of workers temporarily displaced by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Tutay said Western Visayas posted the highest number of temporarily displaced workers with 2,344. The figure accounted for 49.5 percent of the 4,735 total number of workers affected by COVID-19.

She said the workers were displaced after 66 mostly tourism-related establishments adopted flexible work arrangements such as reduction of workdays, rotation of workers and forced leaves.

The labor official said 19 establishments, employing 319 workers, have closed down temporarily as tourists shy away from tourist destinations due to COVID-19.

“Western Visayas posted the highest displacement because that’s where Boracay Island is located. Few tourists are now coming to the island,” Tutay pointed out.

Central Visayas accounted for the second biggest number of displaced workers with 2,344 or 38.9 percent of the total affected.

DOLE said that more than 2,000 workers were affected by reduction of workdays and another 1,829 were forced to take vacation leave.

Tutay said DOLE is set to implement measures to help the affected workers.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) yesterday reported that close to 20,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) could be affected by the travel ban in Qatar and Kuwait.

POEA chief Bernard Olalia noted that in March last year, they processed more than 9,000 overseas employment certificates (OECs) for OFWs departing and a monthly average of 5,000 OECs in Kuwait despite the ban imposed by the Philippine government.

“When the ban was lifted the average number of OEC applications for Kuwait doubled. So that’s how big the number of OFWs who will not be able to leave because of the travel ban,” Olalia said.

Olalia said the government will be more concerned if Saudi Arabia will also impose a travel restriction since it is the top destination for OFWs.

According to Olalia, deployment of Filipinos abroad could drop by more than half if countries in the Middle East will not lift the travel ban imposed in an effort to address the spread of the virus.

Unlike OFWs who got cash assistance from Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) after they were stranded when the government imposed a travel ban on China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan due to COVID-19, stranded OFWs bound for Middle Eastern countries that declared a travel ban on the Philippines will not get financial aid.

OWWA chief Hans Cacdac said the agency provided P10,000 aid to more than 8,000 OFWs who were not able to depart after the government enforced a travel ban on China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Cecille Suerte Felipe

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