To alleviate the severe economic losses caused by traffic congestion and improve the country’s deteriorating traffic conditions, the private sector in the Philippines must embrace more flexible work arrangements.
This is the objective of Joel Villanueva, the majority senator in the Senate, who brought up the aforementioned matter in Metro Manila earlier this week.
Rather than expecting workers to show up at the office daily and risk missing work because of traffic, Villanueva said that companies and workers should be free to negotiate more flexible work schedules.
In 2030, high traffic in the Philippines could cause economic losses of up to PHP6 billion (US$106.6 million) each day, according to research by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This doesn’t even account for the human, social, and environmental repercussions.
To solve the country’s traffic problem, Villanueva filed Senate Resolution No. 859 last year and fought for the approval of Republic Act No. 11165, often known as the “Work-from-Home Law,” during the 17th Congress. A number of government agencies were encouraged to reevaluate their strategies for reducing traffic congestion in the country in the resolution. These agencies include the DOTr, the MMDA, and the DILG.
Companies in New Zealand often provide their employees more leeway to decide how and when they work.
In order to improve the lives of Filipino commuters and reduce the environmental impact of traffic congestion, Villanueva said that the government should examine a proposal to gradually convert public buses into electric cars.
According to the Philippine News Agency, the Management Association of the Philippines recently requested that the government declare a “state of traffic calamity” in Metro Manila and switch to electric vehicles for public buses along the EDSA busway concourse during a public hearing at the House of Representatives.
