PEZA pins permanent hybrid work to next admin
The Philippine Economic and Zone Authority (PEZA) is backing off its fight for a permanent work-from-home arrangement for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) employees and is leaving the fate of this legislation to the next administration.
PEZA Director-General Charito Plaza said that the “hybrid request of the IBPAP (IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines) can be introduced by the new administration to institutionalize the work scheme and corresponding ratio.”
This comes after the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) stood its ground and rejected PEZA and IBPAP’s appeal to extend the work-from-scheme to September this year.
The fiscal board reiterated that IT-BPM firms are expected to resume their “regular” setup requiring 70% of the total workforce to report to the office, while the remaining 30% can work remotely anywhere starting April 1.
This, despite renewed pleas from IT-BPM workers who are worried about rising transport costs amid a sustained rise in oil prices.
FIRB Chair and Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said that no one is prohibiting IT-BPM companies to continue their WFH arrangements however, “they must give up the tax incentives they currently enjoy because the law is clear on this.”
