Work in House of Representatives suspended from March 16 to April 12

Skeletal force allowed to work from home

(Eagle News)–Work in the House of Representatives is suspended from  March 16 to April 12.

A memo to employees said Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano’s decision to adopt “a work schedule parallel to the one to be implemented by the Executive Department as announced by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on 12 March 2020” was made “with the health and safety of the employees” in mind.

“The Office of the Sergeant at Arms – Legislative Security Bureau, Finance Department, Engineering and Physical Facilities Department, and Information Communications Technology Service shall implement a rotating skeletal workforce for the duration of the work suspension,” the memo said.

The memo said those not on ” rotating skeletal workforce shall be allowed to work from home but are required to timely submit their assigned outputs using telecommunication and online technologies.”

“As there is an equally urgent need to ensure continuity in the delivery of public service, all HRep employees shall be on-call and may be required to report to office to perform their official duties for the welfare of the public,” the memo said.

The memo added “committee hearings, briefings, and conferences may be conducted in HRep to help address the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its impact.”

If these will be conducted, the memo said “measures that would minimize risks by facilitating social distancing shall be strictly implemented.”

“These work arrangements are meant to balance our concerns for the health and safety of the HRep personnel, and our duty to the nation as public servants,” the memo said.

“We urge everyone to stay calm as we continue to take all actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in HRep and the rest of the country,” it added.

Earlier, an employee at the House’s printing office tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

All employees in that office have been required to undergo self-quarantine.

House Secretary General Jose Luis Montales said a disinfection of offices would take place from March 13 to 15.