Villanueva urges private sector to adopt telecommuting amid nCoV case

Senator Joel Villanueva urged Thursday the private sector to adopt telecommuting as a work arrangement for employees whose tasks can be done remotely to minimize work disruptions amid the possible spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV).

Villanueva, Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development chairman, said telecommuting gives flexible working arrangement to private sector employees by allowing them to work from home or anywhere outside the office.

Republic Act No. 11165, or the Telecommuting Law which the senator principally authored and sponsored, institutionalizes telecommuting as a work arrangement and harmonizes its principles with the Labor Code.

Villanueva also urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to issue a pertinent labor advisory reminding private companies to send home their employees who show symptoms of flu.

He said employers should not hesitate to send home their workers who are sick but continue to report to work and consider the occupational health and safety of their entire organization.

He said this is part of the employers’ obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) law.

"While the public's awareness of the prevailing health scare concerning the novel coronavirus (nCoV) remains high, our labor officials should seize the moment to reiterate that the health and safety of our workers must be of paramount concern to employers. Our OSHS law states this principal clearly and unequivocally," he said in a press statement.

"The labor advisory will also serve as a warning for companies who think that they can tip toe around prevailing regulations without any consequence,” he added.

He said the DOLE could take cue from their counterparts in the Department of Health, which have been aggressive in informing the public of the proper precautions to avoid nCoV and the suspected and confirmed incidences in the country.

He said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has issued a bulletin to its overseas welfare offices across the world about the nCoV using information from the World Health Organization.

He said the advisory, dated January 24, 2020, contains travel precautions and related advice to the public, which is clearly directed to overseas Filipino workers in various parts of the world.

"We hope to see this similar resolve from our friends in the labor department for the benefit of our workers," he added. "The most important action we can do is preventing the spread of illnesses as simple as the flu."

Villanueva's statement came as the Health Department confirmed the first nCoV case in the country, a 38-year-old woman from Wuhan, China who arrived in the Philippines via Hongkong on January 21.

The DOH said the woman sought consultation and was admitted in one of the country's government hospitals on January 25 after experiencing a mild cough.

According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque, she is currently asymptomatic, which means she had no fever and no other symptoms suggesting illness. — RSJ, GMA News