SEN. Mary Grace Poe has called on the government to implement workfrom-home (WFH) arrangements for civil servants without compromising public service delivery amid rising transport costs.

The senator made the call on Tuesday after the Civil Service Commission (CSC) issued a policy institutionalizing an adaptable setup in government as the country transitions to the new normal.

The CSC resolution allows for work arrangements such as flexiplace, compressed work week, skeleton force, work shifting, flexitime, or a combination of these schemes.

It also requires strict monitoring mechanisms for daily or weekly reports, use of communication platforms and appropriate security measures to ensure the delivery of quality government services.

“As frontliners in the delivery of basic services, our government workers need as much support to deal with the soaring prices of essential goods and the current lack of public transport,” Poe said. “We hope that agency heads, in consultation with stakeholders, can sit down and formulate vetted guidelines to give our state employees greater flexibility in doing their jobs with the same, if not greater, productivity and efficiency.”

“With a number of mass transportation projects still in the works, the available public utility vehicles barely meet the needs of the commuting population, especially in the metropolis,” Poe added.

She pointed out that the long lines of passengers waiting at the hubs of the government’s free-ride program would show how the people are struggling to make both ends meet.

She added that the flexible work arrangement is also a mechanism at the disposal of government agencies to curb the demand for oil and help the people cope with the stream of economic difficulties.

“Flexibility is the future of work,” Poe said, citing the Telecommuting Act for private sector employees that she supported.

“And for many workers, including those in the private sector, it could mean staving off hunger while still doing their jobs well,” she explained. “If we really want to encourage our people to leave their homes, go to the office and stimulate the economy, then we also need to provide them the means to get there without making them spend the bulk of their money on transportation.”

“Otherwise, we will be turning a blind eye to the woes of our ordinary citizens,” said the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services.

Poe earlier reiterated her call for the suspension of fuel excise tax collection amid the skyrocketing prices of oil in the world market.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the value of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials soared by 148 percent to $2.58 billion in March 2022, from $1.04 billion in March 2021.

From January to March this year, mineral fuel and lubricant imports jumped by 133.8 percent year on year to $5.8 billion from $2.48 billion.