Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for increased adoption of remote working arrangements anew in a bid to ease worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
The program, if adopted by a significant number of employers, could form part of solutions to address the perennial problem of traffic bottlenecks in metropolitan areas, Gatchalian said.
He cited recent research by insurance technology site GoShorty that showed Filipinos spent about 98 hours or more than four days trapped in Metro Manila’s traffic jams every year.
To encourage companies to implement work-from-home (WFH) arrangements or telecommuting, the government should provide tax incentives for those that will adopt the program, according to Gatchalian.
“We want to incentivize those who opt-in to this program because of the great benefits it will have on our people,” he said.
Under Senate Bill (SB) 1149, employees shall be entitled to a deduction of P25 from their taxable income for every hour of service rendered under a WFH or telecommuting arrangement.
Also, allowances or other benefits not exceeding P2,000 per month provided by employers to their employees to cover expenses necessary for WFH or telecommuting arrangements shall be considered a non-taxable benefit.
“The work-from-home revolution, which has been accelerated by the pandemic, has numerous advantages that benefit not just the workers concerned. A major benefit of this program is that it will ease traffic congestion especially as in-person classes resume and many businesses are now in full operation," Gatchalian said.
Aside from reducing traffic congestion, remote working arrangements would also cut fuel demand as well as enhance employee productivity as evidenced by various studies, he pointed out.