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Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is batting for the return of the the work-from-home (WFH) set-up in both the government and private sector, if only spare workers from the scorching summer heat. 

Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party (NUP), made the call amid fears that daytime temperatures could shoot up in the weeks ahead to the “extremely dangerous” level of 52 degrees Celsius or higher. 

"The heads of both government and private offices need to consider returning the WFH arrangements, whenever and wherever feasible, to protect our workers against the unprecedented heat wave made worse by El Niño,” Villafuerte said in a statement Thursday, April 25. 

He said that among the high-risk employees who should be allowed to work at home amid the extremely hot weather are senior citizens. 

Villafuerte pointed out that in his home province of Camarines Sur, for example, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) projected that the heat index soared to 45 degrees Celsius last April 22 and to 43 degrees Celsius last April 24.   

Villafuerte said Republic Act (RA) 11165,  or the Telecommunicating Act of 2018, which he  co-authored, “allows employers in the private sector to adopt WFH arrangements for their employees with the use of telecommunications and/or computer technologies, instead of these workers having to go to their respective offices on a daily basis". 

The former governor said that the law states that “An employer in the private sector may offer a telecommuting program to its employees on a voluntary basis, and upon such terms and conditions as they mutually agree upon provided that such terms and conditions shall not be less than the minimum labor standards set by the law, and shall include compensable work hours, minimum number of work hours, overtime, rest days, and entitlement to leave benefits.” 

Government agencies are similarly allowed to adopt WFH arrangements for civil servants, according to Villafuerte, based on Civil Service Commission (CSC) Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 6, dated June 6, 2022. The MC authorized government offices during the pandemic to adopt “flexible” setups in which their respective employees could work in their homes, in satellite offices near the places where their employees live, or in other places conducive for productive work. 

Even before the pandemic, the Bicolano had pushed for a telecommuting work arrangement for private sector employees to enhance work productivity and improve public health, in light of studies pointing to long commutes as one cause of chronic stress and other health disorders such as higher blood pressure levels that lead to cardiac attacks, diabetes and other killer diseases. 

PAGASA Assistant Weather Services Chief Ana Liza Solis said that heat strokes are “imminent” or “probable” when the temperature hits the extreme danger levels.