Quezon City – Davao Oriental 2nd District Representative Mayo
Almario urges both employers and employees to avail of telecommuting pursuant
to Republic Act No. 11165 or the Telecommuting Act to help suppress the spread
of COVID-19.
Principally authored by Senator Joel Villanueva and signed into law
by President Rodrigo Duterte in December 2018, the law declares telecommuting
as an alternative work arrangement to curb traffic, maximize work and family
life balance, and minimize downtime, among others. “In addition to
the law’s intent, it becomes even more important now more than ever because of
emergency health situations the country is currently facing,” says Almario.
The Department of Health (DOH) on March 7, 2020 raised the COVID-19
alert level to Code Red Sub-Level 1 and recommended a Declaration of State of
Public Health Emergency to the President in view of the recently confirmed
cases of localized transmission of COVID-19 in the country and in anticipation
of sustained community transmission. ‘Those who are qualified to work at home
pursuant to R.A. No. 11165 should be given the chance to avail of the said
arrangement,’ adds Almario.
More importantly, it is a declared policy of the State under the law
to “affirm labor as a primary social economic force. To this end, it shall
protect the rights of workers and promote their welfare, especially in the
light of technological development that has opened up new and alternative
avenues for employees to carry out their work such as telecommuting, and other
flexible work arrangements.”
Rep. Almario also reminds employers who will be telecommuting to the
Fair Treatment policy as stated in Section 5 of the law - “the employer shall
ensure that the telecommuting employee are given the same treatment as that of
comparable employees working at the time employer's premises.”
