Senator urges DOF to update WFH policies
Philippines Senator Imee Marcos is prodding the Department of Finance (DOF) to “iron out” the inconsistencies of its back-to-office mandate.
In a statement, Marcos said that the “lack of consistent and comprehensive policy” on the work-from-home (WFH) model discourages the entry of more foreign investors.
This, in turn, makes it “harder for the next administration to keep investment growth on track.”
“Companies in export zones are now afraid of losing their tax incentives if they do not resume all operations on-site. But their work-from-home programs were approved as early as 2017, which the Telecommuting Act of 2018 also supports,” Marcos pointed out.
Additionally, the politician cited that the IT-BPM sector grew its workforce by 8.9% to 10% and its revenue by about 9.5% to 14.5% despite the pandemic.
Currently, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is giving its member companies — specifically the Information Technology And Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector — letters of authority (LOA) to keep their remote and hybrid setup until September.
Senator Imee Marcos is currently the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs chairperson.
