2 SENATORS SUPPORT 4- DAY WORK WEEK

SENATOR Joel Villanueva will file today a counterpart bill to the proposed compressed four-day work week that the House of Representatives recently approved on third and final reading. Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources, wants to amend Article 83 of the Labor Code of the Philippines to accommodate work duration that exceeds eight hours per day or to allow for a shortened work week option. He said the Senate version will not impose a mandatory four-day work week scheme in the private and government sector, adding that this work option will ease traffic woes in urban centers. Villanueva said the bill limits the work duration to 48 hours per week to safeguard the rights, health, and well-being of each employee. He added flexibility in the workplace allows employees to find an arrangement where they can best fulfill their work obligations given their respective situations. Similarly, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said based on his experience at the Senate and taking into consideration severe traffic conditions, he favors an “optional” four-day work week for government and private companies. “An ordinary employee has to endure four hours of commuting everyday. That’s 20 hours of wasted commuting time in five days. If there’s a four-day work week scheme, the employee can save four hours for his or her family,” he added.

DELGRA URGED TO ACT ON OFW, COMMUTERS’ PLAINT VS CAB DRIVERS

ACTS OFW Party-list Rep. Aniceto Bertiz 3rd said he will call for the resignation of Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra 3rd if he will not act on complaints of commuters and overseas Filipino workers against erring cab drivers. “As a member of the House committee on transportation, I tell you that you are completely out of touch with the reality commuters face on the streets of Metro Manila every day. You are in a dream world,” Bertiz said in a statement on Monday. The lawmaker is referring to Delgra’s earlier advise to commuters to assert their rights to cab drivers on instances of being rejected because of their destinations. Bertiz said Delgra’s advice only means he has no empathy with commuters as he expects passengers to quarrel with drivers who have no right to refuse a trip. He cited data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration that about 5,800 OFWs leave the airports everyday and many of them have no vehicles and are victims of erring taxi drivers.

P.5- M GRANT FOR WINNERS IN SOCIAL DESIGN CONTEST

PREPARATIONS are underway for the launch of this year’s Benilde Prize 3.0, the first university-based competition dedicated to launching and mentoring the next wave of innovators. The Hub of Innovation for Inclusion partnered with colleges and universities around the country for a three-day workshop to familiarize its students on the principles of human-centered design which is the framework for the formulation and development of socially responsible projects. The venues in the past were Lorma Colleges in San Juan, La Union; University of Luzon in Dagupan City; De La Salle University in Metro Manila; De La Salle Lipa in Batangas; University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City; University of San Carlos in Cebu City; Fr. Saturnino Urios University in Butuan City and University of Immaculate Conception in Davao City. Over 500 students signed up for the seminars. Launched in 2014 by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), the Benilde Prize has sought proposals that enable the Philippines to achieve some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, clean water and sanitation, responsible consumption and production, action to combat climate change, conserving marine resources and protecting and sustaining ecosystems on land. While DLS-CSB hosts the prize, the contest is open to all who are currently enrolled in local colleges and universities.