Gov’t services unhampered after some officials catch Covid-19

MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday assured that government services will continue as usual despite some ranking officials and workers having tested positive for Covid-19.

In a virtual presser, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that government departments, agencies, and offices, including his own office, continue to adopt alternate work arrangements to prevent the spread of the virus.

“Kami po sa Malacañang, sa [Office of the Presidential Spokesperson] nagpapatupad pa rin po kami; hindi pa rin po kami 100 percent pumapasok sa opisina – nag-a-alternate pa rin po kami at mahigit-kumulang ay kalahati po iyong nagwu-work-from-home every other day ‘no (We in Malacañang, in the OPS, we don’t allow 100 percent of our staff to show up at the office—we have alternate work schedules and half work-from-home every other day),” he said.

Roque said this alternate work-from-home setup is to prevent the entire workforce from getting infected.

He assured the public that government services will not be hampered despite a rise in government officials and workers catching the virus.

“Iyong iba’t ibang sangay ng gobyerno ay mayroon din silang mga strategies na pinu-pursue at ito nga po iyong combination ng work-from-home at saka iyong face-to-face pagtatrabaho sa mga opisina ‘no. So hindi naman po nakakabahala, tuluy-tuloy po ang serbisyo ng gobyerno, hindi po iyan mahihinto (Different branches of government are also pursuing strategies like a combination of work-from-home and face-to-face work in offices. So it’s not a cause for concern, government service will continue and will not be hampered),” he said.

On Monday, Roque announced that he tested positive for Covid-19, admitting that he was “shocked” and “surprised” by the result since he always observed minimum health and safety standards.

Currently, Roque continues to work remotely and has asked officials and workers who have come in close contact with him to undergo testing and isolation.

Last week, Philippine National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana announced that PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas has tested positive for the coronavirus.

On Sunday, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Wilkins Villanueva said he also contracted Covid-19.

Last year, the Civil Service Commission (CSC), through CSC Memorandum Circular No. 10, made available multiple alternative work arrangements (AWA) that government agencies can adopt amid the prevailing health crisis namely work-from-home arrangement, skeleton workforce, four-day or compressed workweek, and staggered working hours.

Work-from-home (WFH) refers to an output-oriented work arrangement that authorizes the worker to produce outputs or results and accomplishments outside of the office.

Skeleton (Skeletal) Workforce refers to a work arrangement where a minimum number of employees is required to man the office to render service when full staffing is not possible. Employees designated as skeletal workforce shall be entitled to Hazard Pay on top of the Compensatory Time Off or Overtime Pay granted for authorized services rendered outside of the employee’s regular work hours.

In a Four-day (Compressed) Workweek arrangement, the employees’ workweek is compressed to four days each week.

Staggered Working Hours allows offices or agencies to observe work shifting or flexible working time. For this purpose, staggered working hours refer to the existing 24/7 shifting schedule and the flexible working time schedule. This may be implemented as a means to limit the number of employees present at the workplace at any given time.

The CSC said that an agency may also adopt work arrangements consisting of a combination of these or other work arrangements appropriate and applicable to the agency considering the prevailing community quarantine in the area where it is located and the nature of work performed by its employees.

To protect government workers’ health and safety, the CSC also required agencies to implement precautionary measures such as disinfection and decontamination activities, the conduct of health status checks among employees, and modification of workplace layout to ensure observance of physical distancing requirements.

Agencies are also mandated to enforce health standard protocol at all times such as wearing of face masks, taking of body temperature, and setting up of sanitation stations.