Poe urges gov’t: Adopt flexi work setup without compromising public service

Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Committee on Public Services. PRIB file photo / Bibo Nueva España

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the transport woes, Senator Grace Poe urged the government Tuesday to implement flexible work arrangements for civil servants while ensuring that provision of services is not compromised.

Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services, made the call after the Civil Service Commission adopted a resolution allowing flexible work arrangements in government agencies as the country transitions to the new normal.

“As frontliners in the delivery of basic services, our government workers need as much support to deal with the soaring prices of essential goods and the current lack of public transport,” Poe said in a statement.

“We hope that agency heads, in consultation with stakeholders, can sit down and formulate vetted guidelines in order to give our state employees greater flexibility in doing their jobs with the same, if not greater productivity and efficiency,” the senator added.

According to Poe, the available public utility vehicles to transport commuters “barely meet the needs of the commuting population”, citing mass transportation projects that are still in the works as well as the high prices of fuel.

Poe said the flexible work arrangement is also a mechanism that government agencies can utilize to curb demand for oil and help the public.

“Flexibility is the future of work, and for many workers including those in the private sector, it could mean staving off hunger while still doing their job well,” Poe explained, citing the Telecommuting Act for private sector employees that she supported.

The CSC said flexible work arrangements are subject to the discretion of the head of agency on the condition that all their stakeholders are assured of continuous delivery of services from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The CSC likewise said flexible work arrangements include flexiplace, compressed work week, skeleton workforce, work shifting, flexitime, and a combination of different flexible work arrangements.

Meanwhile, Poe also stressed her call for the suspension of fuel excise tax collection amid the high prices of oil.

“If we really want to encourage our people to leave their homes, go to the office and stimulate the economy, then we also need to provide them the means to get there without making them spend the bulk of their money on transportation,” Poe said.

“Otherwise, we will be turning a blind eye to the woes of our ordinary citizens,” she added.

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JPV