Revilla commends DOLE, DTI for assisting companies reopening under "the new normal"

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Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. commends the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for assisting businesses and other private institutions which are allowed to reopen and operate amid the novel Corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic.

"Tayo ay nagpapasalamat sa Pangulo na pinayagan nang magbukas ang ilang mga negosyo at kumpanya simula May 1 dahil marami sa ating mga kababayan ang maaari nang magbalik trabaho. Ngunit hindi nangangahulugan nito na balik lang tayo sa dating gawi at hindi na kailangang mag-ingat," the senator said.

"Malaking bagay ang inilabas na guidelines ng DOLE at ng DTI upang gabayan ang mga manggagawa at mga negosyo sa kanilang muling pagbubukas at pagbibigay serbisyo sa publiko sa gitna ng patuloy na pagpapatupad ng Enhanced Community Quarantine at General Community Quarantine sa ating bansa at maigting na pagsasaalang-alang pa rin sa kalusugan at kaligtasan ng lahat," Revilla emphasized as the country ushers into the "new normal."

Revilla, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation, also called on the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to issue similar guidelines for government offices who will resume work and frontline workers who will transact with the general public.

Under the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, all agencies and instrumentalities of the government, including GOCCs, as well as local government units, in areas under ECQ, will be allowed to operate with a skeleton workforce. Meanwhile, work in government offices in areas under GCQ may be at full operational capacity.

Under the Interim Guidelines on Workplace Prevention and Control of Covid-19 which applies to all workplaces, employers and workers in the private sector, health and safety standards shall be implemented aligned with the minimum health standards of the Department of Health (DOH).

Among the health and safety procedure to be imposed are:

  • Wear face masks at all times. Employers should provide face masks for their workers.

  • Prior to entrance in their workplaces, they will accomplish a health symptoms questionnaire and their temperature will be checked.

  • Physical distancing of one meter will be observed.

  • Frequent disinfection of workplaces and communal areas. Sanitizers, soap and water should also be made available.

  • Alternative work arrangements, such as working hour shifts and work-from-home schemes, will be adopted. Workers 60 years old and above, and those with co-morbidities or pre-existing illnesses, should be allowed to work from home.

  • Online systems, such as videoconferencing, will be encouraged. Meetings needing physical presence will be kept to a minimum number of participants and will be of short duration.

"I encourage the businesses, workers and the private sector to strictly implement and to follow these protocols for everyone's safety, Revilla said, as he added: "Hindi pa po tapos ang laban natin sa Covid-19. Kailangan nating patuloy na magkaisa para mapagtagumpayan natin ang laban na ito."

Edward Sodoy