Revilla lauds ‘flexi-rule’ for government workers

SENATOR Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr., commended the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for coming out with the guidelines institutionalizing ‘flexible work’ arrangements in the public sector regardless of their status and appointments with the promulgation of CSC Memorandum Circular 2022-6 (Policies on Flexible Work Arrangements in the Government).

“I commend the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for institutionalizing the flexible work arrangements in the public sector,” said Revilla, who is also the chair of the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation.

“It is a step in the right direction in making our civil servants ready to embrace and adapt to the realities of the new normal, while ensuring their wellbeing and safety during public emergencies. “We fully recognize the health risks that our government workers are constantly exposed to; hence, there is a need to safeguard them against these work hazards,” the lawmaker added.

In a separate statement, the CSC said it took them two years, or since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, to work out and finalize the details of the new rules. The CSC said the new rules took effect last June 15, 2022.

CSC commissioner Aileen Lizada told the media they expect to develop a more “agile and flexible bureaucracy where workers and heads of agencies now have an automatic default during times of crises and emergencies.”

Under the CSC memorandum, general rules still apply: government agencies and employees must render service from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. every day, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

Revilla, for his part, added:

“The times, after all, demand that we are able to quickly and diligently respond to the new and arising needs of our people.

“Dito nga tunay na masusubok ang ating kakayahan na tanggapin at unawain ang mga pagbabagong dulot ng pandemya upang bigyan ng proteksyon ang ating mga mamamayan.

“In balancing the interests of all, we must also ensure that government services would not be hampered. Kailangan siguraduhing epektibo at mabilisan pa ring umaagos ang serbisyo publiko sa taumbayan sa kabila ng mga pagbabagong ngayon ay kinakailangan nating tahakin.

“I urge the CSC to ensure that in the time of transition, government frontline services should continue to be delivered efficiently and without disruptions.

“We should prove that technology-assisted civil service organizations will turn out to have increased productivity and responsiveness and faster service delivery, and not the other way around.”