SENATOR Francis Tolentino pushed for a bill that will provide a P1,000 non-taxable allowance per month for both government and private-sector employees who are on a work-from-home or telecommute setup.
Tolentino said the amount can help workers cope with the high cost of electricity, internet and other expenses due to their work done at their homes.
He believes that employers can do this, considering their savings from the high maintenance costs of their office or workplace.
In filing the proposed measure, Tolentino pointed out that both small and big companies were encouraged to implement work-from-home arrangements to avoid COVID-19 transmission in the workplace, but this meant higher utility consumption in households, particularly on electricity consumption.
There are also workers who were forced to buy their own computer and install internet connectivity at their houses.
To be able to sustain the work-from-home set up which many saw as effective, Tolentino said it would be best to help and provide incentives to employees due to the surge in utility bill payments.
Tolentino’s proposed measure seeks to amend the provisions under the Telecommuting Act or Republic Act 11165.
Under his proposal, employers can also provide a monthly allowance higher than P1,000, and companies that will fail to provide the proposed allowance will be fined up to P100,000.