Akbayan Partylist Representative Chel Diokno has filed a resolution seeking a congressional investigation into reports that business process outsourcing (BPO) companies forced employees to report to work at the height of recent typhoons.
Joined by Akbayan Representatives Perci Cendana and Dadah Ismula and Dinagat Islands Representative Kaka Bag-ao, Diokno filed House Resolution 491 directing the House Committees on Labor and Employment and on Disaster Resilience to look into possible labor violations.
“Sa kasagsagan ng Bagyong Tino at Bagyong Uwan, maraming BPO workers ang napilitang lumusong sa baha at sumuong sa malalakas na ulan at hangin—hindi upang maghanap ng ligtas na masisilungan, kundi upang makapasok sa trabaho… Ayon sa kanila, pinagbantaan sila ng kanilang mga kumpanya na paparusahan kung hindi sila pumasok, kahit malinaw na delikado ang sitwasyon,” Diokno said.
He stressed that compelling employees to report during life-threatening weather is already prohibited under the Labor Code, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Law, and DOLE Labor Advisory No. 17 (2022), which states that workers who refuse to work due to imminent danger “shall not be subject to administrative sanction.”
“Filipino workers are not waterproof and calamity-proof. Forcing them into danger for profit is unacceptable, and we will never stand idly by in the face of unjust policies,” he added.
The lawmaker cited DOLE’s ongoing inspection of 98 BPO firms flagged for alleged forced on-site reporting. He said the inquiry should also evaluate companies’ emergency protocols and consider reforms such as paid emergency leave, expanded remote-work setups, streamlined reporting requirements, and stricter penalties.
With the country experiencing around 20 typhoons annually, the resolution argued that protecting labor standards and safeguarding the 1.82 million-strong BPO workforce during disasters is a matter of significant public interest.