Duterte orders increased deployment of on-site gov't workers amid COVID-19 pandemic

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the increased deployment of on-site government workers in Alert Level 2, 3, and 4 areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure unhampered delivery of government services.

The President's order is stated Memorandum Circular (MC) 93 which mandates 40% of workers of a government agency to report on-site under Alert Level 4 areas, 60% under Alert Level 3 areas, and 80% in Alert Level 2 areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There are reports that some government agencies and instrumentalities have such a small proportion of their total workforce on-site that the delivery of public service suffers as a result," MC 93 read.

"There is a need to balance health considerations and the continuous delivery of public services, regardless of the Alert Level System prevailing in a particular area," MC 93 added.

Likewise, MC 93 also states that the heads of all agencies and instrumentalities of the executive branch, including government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), may increase the on-site workforce of their offices beyond the minimum provided above.

Department secretaries are also allowed to require heads of agencies over which they have control or supervision, or which are attached to their departments, to implement a larger on-site workforce should the one set by the agency head be insufficient for the delivery of services, as determined by the department secretary.

"Agencies providing health and emergency frontline services, laboratory and testing services, border control, or other critical services, shall require an on-site workforce that is larger than the minimum provided above, as may be necessary to deliver their mandates," according to the memorandum.

"In all cases, the requirement on on-site workforce shall be subject to social distancing requirements and other minimum public health standards."

Under the previously issued MC 88 last August, the maximum percentage of a government agency's workforce required to report on-site was just 20% at any given time.

The government had earlier placed the country under Alert Level 2 until the end of the year.

Under Alert Level 2 — the second-lowest in the new alert level system — certain establishments and activities are allowed at 50% capacity indoors for fully vaccinated adults (and minors, even if unvaccinated) and 70% capacity outdoors. — DVM, GMA News