MANILA, Philippines — Senator Joel Villanueva has urged the government and private sectors to prioritize telecommuting arrangements as Metro Manila braces for worsening traffic congestion with the planned EDSA overhaul this year.

Villanueva, principal author of Republic Act No. 11165 or the Telecommuting Act, said there is an urgent need for alternative work setups to ease the daily burden on commuters and mitigate economic losses caused by traffic.

“We have been advocating for this since we pushed for the enactment of the Telecommuting Act, as this will benefit both employers and employees in sectors that can operate through remote operation,” Villanueva said in a statement Monday.

The senator noted that traffic congestion costs the Philippine economy P3.5 billion daily, based on a 2018 Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) study. 

Without immediate action, this figure could rise to P5.4 billion per day by 2035, he said.

The EDSA overhaul is expected to disrupt the metro’s main thoroughfare, and could exacerbate traffic problems. 

After a decade of delays, the long-awaited rehabilitation of EDSA, Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare, is finally set to begin this year.

The P3.74-billion project, first proposed in 2015, was stalled due to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) failing to secure the necessary clearance from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority 

Villanueva noted that telecommuting offers a practical solution to reduce the number of vehicles on the road while maintaining productivity.

The Telecommuting Act, also known as the “Work-from-Home Law,” mandates the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to identify industries capable of adopting remote work arrangements. 

The law aims to help individuals, particularly those in provinces or with caregiving responsibilities, access job opportunities without the need to relocate.

Villanueva also called on DOLE to explore other flexible work setups that promote work-life balance and reduce time wasted in traffic.

“Let’s embrace the power of technology to redefine how and where we work,” Villanueva said. 

“Work from anywhere is now the name of the game, and we need to empower workers to remain productive without being hampered by traffic and geographical limitations,” he said.

More Filipinos want WFH setup

According to JobStreet’s January 2024 “Future of Recruitment Report,” Filipinos are more inclined than the global average to avoid returning to office-based work entirely.

The report, which surveyed 90,547 respondents across 160 countries in 2022, including 11,438 from the Philippines, revealed that Filipinos align with global trends regarding working hours, favoring a traditional five-day workweek.  

The survey highlighted that 46 percent of Filipino respondents prefer a hybrid setup, blending remote work with in-office days during the workweek. Meanwhile, 28 percent of Filipinos favor fully remote work, significantly higher than the global average of 11 percent, which is less than half the Philippine figure.