BAGUIO CITY – The local government adopted the internal rules and regulations for the implementation of the alternative work arrangement and support mechanisms for city hall
officials and employees pursuant to proclamation No. 922 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte in the light of the increasing number of confirmed Coronavirus Infectious Disease (COVID-19) cases and local transmission of the deadly virus.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong issued Executive Order No. 62, series of 2020 stating among others that the implementation of the 4-day work week will cover all local government officials and employees, including casual and job order and city paid employees detailed to the national offices.
Under the said order, the department officials and employees who are currently implementing approved flexy-time schedules shall continue to observe their flexible working hours.
Further, departments may adopt work arrangement options, parameters and flexy-time schedules and support mechanisms that corresponds to the need or nature of their prescribed functions.
Among the alternative work arrangements include the 4-day work week where officials and employees with regular 8 working hours per day for 5 days a week will be reduced to 4 days but the number of work hours per day will be increased to 10 hours so the total number of required work hours per week shall not be less than 40 hours; flexible working hours where employees with regular working hours may adopt flexy-time schedule but should not be earlier than 7 in the morning and not later than 7 in the evening and shifting where departments shall strategize that shifting for employees to still meet the required 40 hours per week for the said purpose.
The local chief executive stated that the departments shall ensure that its normal work week is maintained and that all offices providing essential services such as health workers, emergency medical services, first responders, frontline service providers and the like shall be provided with support mechanisms such as health interventions, stress debriefing and appropriate technologies to minimize face to face contact.
The order added that the departments shall formulate their monitoring mechanisms to tailor-fit the need and nature of their functions and to ensure that public service delivery is not prejudiced and that the departments, through their administrative staff, shall submit the alternative work arrangements of their respective offices to the City Human Resource Management Office.
He pointed out that the outbreak of COVID 2019 constitutes an emergency that threatens national security that requires a whole of government response aligned with the 4-door framework for COVID of the health department and the efforts of all concerned government agencies and local government units.
Earlier, President Duterte issued Proclamation No. 922, series of 2020 that declared a state of public health emergency in the country while the Civil Service Commission (CSC) issued Memorandum Circular No. 07, series of 2020 that adopted the interim guidelines for alternative work arrangements and support mechanisms for workers in the government for the duration of the state of public health emergency and required agencies to formulate their internal rules and regulations. By Dexter A. See
