Philippine government prefers hybrid work model

Joey Concepcion, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and part of the group, said doing so would help companies slowly return to their pre-pandemic operations. He added that having a hybrid on-site and work-from-home setup would be more efficient. 

However, labour group Defend Jobs Philippines said the government must first ensure the safety on and the availability of public transport before businesses require their workers to go back on site. 

The group’s spokesman Lloyd Magsoy said, if employers want their staff to go back to their workplaces, the level of vaccination should be high enough and safety measures on public transport must be in place. “There’s no sense in asking employees to go back to their offices just to expose them to COVID-19. Workers should be able to return to work safely,” he said. 

READ: Lockdowns hamper job gains in the Philippines

Currently, there is a lack of public transport vehicles and social distancing is almost non-existent as passengers on available public transport are in close proximity to each other. Also, not everyone has their own vehicle for office-home commutes, according to Philippines Lifestyle News.