Solon pushes for 'work-from-home' setup amid Covid-19, fuel crisis
House Social Services Committee chair Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas is pushing for the adoption of work-from-home (WFH) setups amid the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the fuel crisis.

“Despite being an initial remedial response to the pandemic, the WFH arrangement has proven to be a productive means of operations for many sectors, and some employers have even reported higher productivity with this remote set-up,” Vargas said in a press statement on Sunday, March 20.
Vargas’ press statement details that the lawmaker filed a House resolution urging the national government to keep the hybrid setup, especially given the Covid-19 pandemic and the rapidly increasing fuel costs.
This, following the Fiscal Incentives and Review Board (FIRB) denial of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies’ petition to extend the WFH setup until September 2022.
The FIRB made this decision to send BPO employees back to onsite work on the basis of Alert Level 1 being implemented in Metro Manila and 47 other areas for the rest of March 2022.
“The high cost of fuel is especially difficult for many workers and employees who are now returning to office-based arrangements,” Vargas said in his statement.
Vargas also added that he thinks the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will similarly push for the implementation of WFH and hybrid work setups.