Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH (17!) CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE ah NO. 4722

Introduced by Representative Manuel Monsour T. Del Rosario IIL

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The worsening traffic gridlocks have become a maddening chunk of the daily grind in the
Philippines. Thousands of the country’s workforce are mired daily in mammoth traffic jams
along our metropolises’ major thoroughfares and arterial roads, They spend hours on the road
just to get to their places of work and several more hours to get home to their families,

The daily strain on the quality of life of the labor force, students, and other regular
commuters may be difficult to quantify but they cannot be ignored. Moreover, the negative
impact of traffic congestion on public health and the environment is expected to translate to
economic costs.

‘A report by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) showed the costs of
traffic would continue to rise if adequate solutions to ease congestion are not implemented. The
report revealed that the economic losses associated with traffic in Metro Manila are estimated to
be P2.4 billion each business day in 2012, a figure that is estimated to tise to P6 billion for each
working day by 2030. This figure is comprised of costs associated with lost business hours and
business opportunities, missed deadlines caused by delays, and wasted automobile fuel,

The human cost of traffic in the city is the lost time that could have been spent with loves!
ones. In addition to the emotional toll, there are also negative effects that traffic has on health
and the environment. A 2012 study revealed that levels of greenhouse gas emissions in Metro
Manila were at a staggering 4.7 million tonnes for the year—a number that falls well below the
5.7 estimated for the year 2030, Recent studies have aslo shown the adverse effect of traffic jams
on the mental and overall health of motorists and commuters, including the increased risk of
heart disease and brain damage.

The worsening traffic situation in the Philippines requires Government to introduce more
efficient alternative working modes to help alleviate the deleterious effects of traffic congestion
in the country’s metropolitan areas.

‘There is a huge potential for information and communications technology to remedy
current social, economic, and environmental problems, including the inter-related problems of
urban sprawl and traffic congestion. Along this line, we must seriously consider implementing
telecommuting as an alternative work arrangement for employees, as far as it may be applicable
and practicable.


Telecommuting is defined as work conducted from home that is often supported by
telecommunications technology (telephone, Internet access, or computer). It is also known as
remote work, homework, virtual work, telework or distributed work.

Telecommuting has been promoted in the public policy arena as a desirable solution for
urban travel-related problems such as traffic congestion, excessive energy consumption, and air
pollution, It is an international phenomenon reflecting employees’ desire to achieve a better
work-life balance and live in more sustainable environments away from the ills of traffic~
congested and overcrowded cities

There is much interest in telecommuting for various reasons. First, businesses can cut
office costs with few to no employees present in the office ranging from furniture to electricity
used, while employees save money used on gas to get to and from the office. Second, the vast
majority of employees drive to work each day. The pollution emanating from vehicles can take a
huge toll on the environment. Both companies and their workers can greatly reduce their carbon
footprint when employees work from home

Third, from the employees’ perspective, telecommuting is associated with higher job
satisfaction and has been widely advocated as a solution to the challenges individuals face in
reconciling their personal and work lives. It can allow individuals to have greater control over
work-family boundaries and to schedule work at times of peak efficiency or around family
needs. The reduction in commute times that results from telecommuting also frees temporal
resources that can be devoted to family or job needs, as employees often substitute commuting
time for additional work time. And fourth, by being able to work from home—and have a better
work life balance—employees become happier and feel valued. In turn, that happiness turns into
gratitude, causing employees to become more invested in the companies they work for—and
work harder.

In sum, telecommuting helps reduce energy consumption, traffic congestion and air
pollution, It also boosts workers’ productivity, improves morale and saves office space

In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is fervently sought.

MA . MONSOUR T, DEL ROSARIO IIT


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIV:
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH (17™) CONGRESS
First Regular Session

no, 4022

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representative Manuel Monsour T. Del Rosario III

AN ACT ADOPTING TELECOMMUTING AND OTHER ICT- BASED SOLUTIONS
TO BOOST GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS OF THE FILIPINO WORKFORCE

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Phil
in Congress assembled:

spines

Section 1. Short Title. ~ This Act shall be known as the “Telecommuting Act of 2016”.

Section 2. Declaration of the Use of Telecommuting and ICT-based Solutions as a State
Policy. — Itis hereby declared the policy of the State to carry out the following:

a, Adopt the use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a tool to manage
and mitigate the problem of traffic congestion in the Philippines, especially in Metro Manila and
other urban areas;

b. Implement a policy of telecommuting at work and in schools through the adoption and
use of ICT solutions at home to decrease the number of commuters and drivers without loss of
their ability to learn and/or performance productivity;

c, Institutionalize other related and relevant transportation demand-management strategies
and incentives, in furtherance of this policy, aimed at changing commuting choices made by
drivers, students, and citizens;

4. Establish a holistic public policy enabling environment and effectiveness goals in
promoting and propagating the use of ICT-based solutions and telecommuting, both in the private
and public sectors to adopt it, in a large-scale, with the willingness and acceptance by employers,
executives, students & workers;

e. Build the capacities of public sector institutions and their personnel in the adoption of
telecommuting and the use of ICT to improve planning, management, delivery of functions and
monitoring and evaluation;

f, Provide safety nets, including retraining, redeployment, supervision and other
appropriate services, to personnel who will use or are affected by the adoption of ICT-based
solutions and telecommuting pursuant to this Act, in accordance with relevant laws and generally
build the capacities of the manpower of the Government;

g. Enable and promote the growth and development of industries which promote the
implementation of telecommuting and the use the ICT-based solutions in places of work, schools,
and in the ICT-ES sectors;


h. Adopt telecommuting and the use of ICT-based solutions in the long-term as a means to
foster global competitiveness of the Filipino workforce;

i, Maximize the use of videoconferencing in conducting meetings, as well as in substitution
of telecommunications for travel whenever possible;

j. Remove barriers to facilitate and accelerate the expansion and improvement of the
broadband infrastructure toward increased penetration, last-mile connectivity, and lower costs for
high-speed remote, fixed and mobile access through the internet for telecommuting, by
implementing the following measures:

© Streamline the required permits and licenses necessary for the roll-out and
continued operations of broadband facilities and infrastructure;

© Strictly implement the applicable laws, rules, regulations, and orders on the
streamlining of services, including but not limited to the Anti-Red Tape Law
(Republic Act 9485) and DILG Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2016-104, series
of 2016, in order to expedite the approval and release of permits and licenses for
telecommunications towers, facilities, and equipment;

© Regulate and implement reasonable rental rates for properties where broadband
facilities are constructed and located;

© Allow telecommunications entities reasonable but unhampered access and usage of
public thoroughfares in order to implement their continuing expansion and
improvements with dispatch and without undue delays;

© Extend the life of radio station licenses (RSLs) from one (1) year to five (5) years;

© Facilitate the access by telecommunications entities of government and
government-owned and -controlled properties and facilities in order to install and
construct broadband infrastructure;

Review DPWH Department Order No. 73, series of 2014, with regard to its
coverage of telecommunications service facilities; provided, however, that for
purposes of consistency, said order shall be temporarily suspended with respect to
telecommunications companies;

© Promote free and unrestricted access to public places, including but not limited to
malls, hospitals, parks, churches, arenas, schools by telecommunications
companies for the purpose of installation and operation of broadband facilities, by
proscribing exclusivity arrangements in favor of a single telecommunications
entity;

k. Promote application development in order to come up with new ICT-based solutions that
can facilitate the use of telecommuting;

1. Use ICT-based solutions and telecommuting to streamline bureaucracy, eliminate red
tape, and curtail corruption in government, in accordance with RA No, 9486 (Anti-Red Tape Act
of 2007);

m. Encourage eligible employees to telecommute to the full extent possible in terms of
man-days per work week;

n, Prescribe the policies, rules, and practices that shall apply at the telework site so that the
job of the teleworker shall be performed according to the same standards as would normally be
expected at the primary worksite;


. Facilitate telecommuting with work tools, including broadband access and personal
computing devices and provide training to support employees’ use of telecommuting
arrangements; and

p. Ensure that telecommuting as a work policy component and an alternative work
arrangement shall neither prejudice nor give preferential rights to individuals who use
telecommuting.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall be
defined as follows:

a. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ~ shall mean the totality of
electronic means to access, create, collect, store, process, receive, transmit, present,
and disseminate information;

b. Infostructure — refers to the organizational structure used for the collection and
distribution of information. This comprises the information technology infrastructure,
including but not limited to hardware, networks, applications;

c. Telecommuting — refers to a work arrangement in which employees do not commute
or travel by bus or car to a central place of work, or a work arrangement in which
employees regularly perform their work outside of the traditional on-site working
environment. Telecommuting shall include:

(i) Teleworking, which is a subset of telecommuting, which refers to a form of
organizing and/or performing work, using or assisted by information
technology, where work is carried out away from centrally located workspace
ona regular basis (including work undertaken in the home, outside calls, etc.)
or any form of substitution of information technologies (such as
telecommunications and/or computers) for normal workrelated travel;

(ii) Telepresence, which refers to the use of video-conferencing and remote
presence technology to conduct face-to-face meetings; and

(iii) Telelearning, which refers to the use of ICT to allow students and faculty to
conduct classes and other school activities in remote locations and without
having to physically appear on campus.

d. ICT Sector — refers to those engaged in providing goods and services primarily
intended to fulfill or enable the function of information processing and communication
by electronic means. The ICT sector includes telecommunications and broadcast
information operators, ICT equipment manufacturers, multimedia content developers
and providers, ICT solution providers, internet service ICT training institutions,
software developers and ICT-ES providers;

e. ICT-Enabled Services or ICT-ES Sector — refer to those engaged in providing services
providers, that require the intrinsic use of ICT, including engineering or architectural
design, informatics service providers, offshoring and outsourcing service providers
such as call centers, back office processing, software development, fixed and mobile
applications, medical or legal transcription, animation, game development, and other
services that require the intrinsic use of a networked information infrastructure; and


£. Chief Information Officer or CIO — refers to a senior officer in all national government
agencies (NGAs), including constitutional offices, state universities and colleges
(SUCs), government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), and government
financial institutions (GFls) responsible for the development and management of the
agency's ICT systems and applications.

Seetion 4. Scope. - This Act shall cover the following:

a. National Government Agencies (NGAs), including instrumentalities under their control;

. Constitutional bodies;

c. The Judiciary;

d. Congress;

e. Local Government Units (LGUs) and instrumentalities under LGU control;

£, Government Financial Institutions (GFls);

g. Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs);

h, Inter-agency collaborations, programs, and projects;

i, Public schools and training centers; and

j. Other autonomous branches of the government, including State Universities and Colleges
(SUCS).

The private sector shall likewise be encouraged to seriously consider implementing
telecommuting as an alternative work arrangement for their employees, as far as applicable
considering the nature of their duties and functions, the area of their assignment and the existing
infrastructure in place, without unduly compromising their work productivity, to further facilitate
the decongestion of traffic, increase worker productivity, and reduce vehicular pollution.

Section 5. Benefits of Adoption of Telecommuting and ICT-based Solutions. - The adoption
of telecommuting and ICT-based solutions in the public and private sectors shall lead to the
following benefits:

a, Decongestion of traffic — ICT-based solutions and telecommuting shall remove the need
for a substantial portion of road users - such as workers, employees, and students - from commuting.
ona daily basis. This, in turn, will reduce traffic congestion.

b. Increase in productive hours - removing time spent commuting through the use of ICT-
based solutions will allow employees, workers, and students to allocate their time to more
productive endeavors at work, home, or in the community.

c. Decentralization of urban housing and transfer of economic, educational, and other
opportunities outside of Metro Manila - Telecommuting and the use of ICT-based solutions allows
citizens outside of Metro Manila to work or study in city-based companies or colleges and
universities without having to relocate to the city or commute daily. This allows for the
decentralization of urban housing and economic, educational, and other opportunities to outside of
the city, leading to more uniform development and opportunities both within and outside the
country’s cities.

d. Integrate ICT in government - telecommuting maximizes ICT infrastructure and
technologies in order to allow citizens to access their work from remote locations. This, in turn,
accelerates private sector involvement in ICT and allows for greater ICT integration and
development,


e. Reducing energy consumption - decentralized work locations reduces the need for
overhead expenses, inchiding electricity and water, and allows citizens to maximize their own
resources at home, The increased profits can translate to greater savings for the private sector.

f. Environmental benefits - less commuting and motorist activities through the use of
telecommuting and adoption of ICT-based solutions translates to reduced consumption of fossil
fuels which can significantly reduce pollution from carbon dioxide and other emissions.

Section 6. Adoption of Minimum ICT-based Solutions. — The following minimum ICT-
based solutions shall be adopted to complement telecommuting:

a. Broadband as the minimum internet connectivity standard;
b. Cloud computing as the preferred ICT deployment method;

c. Use of remote access ICT systems in order to allow officials, employees, and workers to
access their work files outside of the office;

4. Use ICT systems that are accessible via fixed and mobile devices, to facilitate
telecommuting;

e. Adoption of other ICT-based productivity, communications, and collaboration tools to
allow both management and employees to create, modify, store files in collaboration with other
officers or employees telecommuting remotely;

f, Adoption of comprehensive ICT-based enterprise resource planning systems, which shall
include Business Intelligence, e-Commerce, Enterprise Asset Management, and other ICT systems
covering procurement, production, distribution, accounting, human resource management,
corporate performance and governance, customer services, and sales;

g. Adoption of virtual private networking (VPN), encrypted transmission of data and
messages, and other mechanisms to ensure that telecommuting and the use of ICT-based solutions
is done ina way that retains the security, integrity, confidentiality, and safety of the data, files, and
other information handled by officers and employees who are telecommuting or using ICT-based
solutions;

h, Use of ICT-based traffic management systems which provide synchronized traffic signal
prioritization schemes and real time alternate routes information; and 9, Installation of broadband
connectivity in major highways, national roads, and thoroughfares, as well as the use of buses and
other public utility vehicles with WiFi hotspots, to allow commuters to access email and work
while on the road.

Section 7. Governance Structure and Coordination with Agencies. ~ The DICT shall be
the lead implementing agency in adopting telecommuting and ICT-based solutions. The DICT
and/or other departments, bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the government may
enter into such agreements as may be necessary for the effective implementation of this Act,
consistent with existing laws.

The National Telecommuting and ICT-based Solutions Committee, hereinafter referred to
as the “Committee,” is hereby established to support the DICT in the implementation of this Act.
The Committee shall be composed of the Secretaries of the following agencies:


Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) - Chairman
‘Commission on Higher Education (CHED) - Member

Department of Education (DepEd) - Member

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) - Member
Civil Service Commission (CSC) - Member

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) - Member

Department of Transportation (DOTr) - Member

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) - Member
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) - Member

Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB) - Member
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) - Member

National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) - Member

Department of Trade and Industry (DT!) - Member

National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) - Member

Department of Health (DOH) - Member

Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) - Member

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Member
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) - Member

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) - Member
Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP HPG) - Member

ren ey OB RoR HER me Ae TP

The Committee may tap the CIO Council, created under RA No. 10844 (Department of
Information and Communications Technology Act of 2015), to help in the implementation of
telecommuting and the adoption of ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion. The
Committee may also create Technical Working Groups as necessary. The DICT-Office of the
Secretary shall act as the Secretariat and shall provide technical and administrative support to the
Committee and the Technical Working Groups.

Section 8. Roles and Responsibilities of the National Telecommuting and ICT-based
Solutions Committee. — The following shall be the roles and responsibilities of the Committee:

a. Submit general policy, technical and administrative guidelines on the use of
telecommuting and adoption of ICT-based solutions to the DICT within sixty (60) days from the
effectivity of this Act. Upon review and approval of the same, the DICT shall promulgate the
guidelines for implementation;

b. Act as the support mechanism assisting the DICT in the implementation of
telecommuting and adoption of ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic in the Philippines;

c. Establish partnerships with LGUs to plan manage and promote telecommuting and the
adoption of ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic in their respective areas;

d. Extend advisory services and overall assistance to other government instrumentalities in
the preparation, development, and policy implementation of telecommuting and use of ICT-based
solutions to mitigate traffic, in their respective areas;

e. Harmonize and advance plans on telecommuting and use of ICT-based solutions to
ensure information and resource sharing;


£. Set the Transition Period and prepare a Transition Program, as well as the Roadmap for
the DICT and other agencies concerned as guidelines to achieve the objectives of this Act and for
its proper and speedy implementation;

g. Develop standards for benchmarking and measuring the degree of performance of
telecommuting and use of ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic in the Philippines; and

h. Espouse, advocate, and hold consultations with the private sector on telecommuting and
the use of ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion.

Section 9. Roles and Responsibilities of Implementing Agencies. ~ The following shall be
the roles and responsibilities of the implementing agencies:

a. DICT ~ shall act as the primary enabler in the adoption of telecommuting and the use of
ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion in the Philippines by providing planning and
technical assistance, policy guidance, administrative support, and general supervision over the
implementation of the telecommuting and ICT-based solutions initiative. The DICT shall likewise
lead in developing the technological environment and facilities, and, policy, and legal framework
necessary to implement and advance telecommuting and the use of ICT-based solutions. For the
efficient and effective implementation of and transition to telecommuting and use of ICT-based
solutions to mitigate traffic congestion, the DICT shall formulate a Change Management Plan to
be followed by agencies covered by this Act.

b. CSC = shall evaluate existing government positions, items, staffing patterns, and
business processes and assist the DICT in developing and issuing guidelines on the criteria to
determine the types of work and public officers suited for telecommuting. The CSC shall likewise
enable telecommuting as a work arrangement in government.

c. DOLE ~ shall evaluate existing policies, rules, regulations, and statutes that impede the
implementation of telecommuting and the use of ICT-based solutions among officers, employees,
and workers in the private sector. The DOLE shalll also study labor concerns and best practices
that can facilitate the implementation of telecommuting and use of ICT-based solutions. The
DOLE shall likewise promote telecommuting and the use of ICT-based solutions as a work policy
in the private sector.

. DBM ~ shall study the budgetary requirements and assist in making the adjustments in
the National Budget necessary to develop the infrastructure and technologies to implement
telecommuting and the use of ICT-based solutions.

¢. DTI ~ shall identify industries which can benefit from telecommuting and ICT-based
solutions, promote telecommuting ICT-based solutions to these industries, and propose incentives
which the government may provide to foster telecommuting and ICT-based solutions in the private
sector.

£ BIR — study current tax laws, rules and regulations, propose tax schemes and incentives,
cither through BIR rulings, executive action or legislative initiative, that can be used to promote
telecommuting and ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion.


g, DOTr, DPWH, DENR, LTFRB, NEDA, MMDA, and PNP-HPG — shall assist the DICT
in developing best practices in telecommuting, including economic studies and traffic mapping to
create a holistic approach to traffic management in the country.

h. NTC — shall develop and promote policy and regulatory frameworks to assist in
expanding and increasing internet connectivity in the country, in order to allow maximum use of
telecommuting and ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion.

i, DILG — shall promote the national government's initiative on telecommuting and the use
of ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion to LGUs, and shall 14 coordinate with LGUs,
communities, villages, and homeowners’ associations, to facilitate last-mile connectivity;

j. CHED, DepEd, TESDA — shall spearhead the implementation of telelearning and shall
develop criteria to determine student work and classes that may be done via telecommuting;

k, Inter-Agency Task Force on the Harmonization of National Government Performance
Monitoring, Information, and Reporting Systems — shall promulgate guidelines incorporating the
use of telecommuting and other ICT-based solutions as a performance indicator for each agency’s
Major Final Output;

1. Constitutional bodies, the Judiciary, Congress, LGUs, autonomous government agencies,
and other NGAs — shall develop implementing rules and regulations on telecommuting and ICT-
based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion for their own offices and shall implement the same.

Section 10. ICT Resource Provisioning. - The DICT shall be the primary provider of
infostructure and other resources that may be needed for the implementation of the telecommuting
policy under this Act. Constitutional bodies, the Judiciary, Congress, LGUs, autonomous
government agencies, other NGAs, instrumentalities, including government-owned and —
controlled corporations and government financial institutions shall incorporate their ICT-based
telecommuting resource requirements in their respective Information Systems Strategic Plan
(ISSP).

Section 11. Data Security. ~ The DICT shall issue and update its cyber security measures,
guidelines, and standards as necessary.

Section 12. Public-Private Partnership for the Adoption of Telecommuting and ICT-based
Solutions. — The State shall encourage and establish guidelines for private sector funding of ICT
projects of the govemment in order to fast-track said projects. These private sector-funded ICT
projects of the government shall provide reasonable cost-recovery mechanisms for the private
sector, including but not limited to Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mechanisms. The government
shall encourage the active participation of the private sector in conducting research and
development in the field of ICT, especially in the field of telecommuting, as well as in the adoption
and development of policy guidelines and best practices on telecommuting and the use of ICT-
based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion.

The public and private sectors shall further collaborate on the following areas:
a. Research and development on applications, systems, technologies that support and

enable telecommuting and ICT-based solutions to telecommuting, including applications such as
video conferencing, ICT-based carpooling, enhanced online services, ICT-based traffic and



parking management, and the establishment of broadband internet access in roads to increase
connectivity and productivity even during commute and travel, and other info-structures,
technologies, and systems that promote telecommuting;

b. Promote “lifestyles” that support and complement telecommuting, such as
homeschooling, adoption of work-at-home options for private sector employees, and the Bring
Your Own Device (BYOD) concept;

c. Educate and encourage the private sector to take advantage of telecommuting and ICT-
based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion;

d. Identify incentives that may be given to the private sector for adopting telecommuting
and using ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion; and

e. Identify policy, regulatory, and statutory obstacles to the implementation of
telecommuting and ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion, and submit proposals to
remove, remedy, or amend the identified issues.

Section 13. Funding, ~ Subject to existing accounting and auditing laws and procedures,
the funding sources for the amounts necessary to implement this Act shall be as follows:

1. For national government agencies, constitutional bodies, the judiciary, Congress,
autonomous government agencies, and other NGAs funded through the General Appropriations
Act (GAA), the amount needed for the adoption of telecommuting shall be charged against the
appropriations in the GAA. Individual government agencies shall incorporate the funds necessary
to implement this Act in the proposed National Expenditure Program of each agency;

2. For GOCCs, the amounts shall come from their respective corporate funds in the
corporate operating budgets approved by DBM; and

3. For LGUs, the amounts shall be charged against their respective funds in accordance
with RA No. 7160, known as the Local Government Code.

Section 14. Compliance Monitoring and Reporting. — The National Telecommuting and
ICT-Solutions Committee shall monitor the implementation of this Act among government
agencies covered, and shall submit to Congress annual reports on the status and implementation
of this Act.

To this end, an Evaluation and Monitoring Committee is hereby created which shall be
headed by a representative from the DICT as the chairman with six (6) members, three (3)
members thereof shall come from the public sector and the other three (3) shall come from the
private sector.

The Evaluation and Monitoring Committee shall have the following functions:

a) Regularly report to the National Telecommuting and ICT-Solutions Committee;

b) Review the performance of each implementing agency; and

©) Determine whether there is an increase or decline in productivity of personnel
implementing telecommuting.


The Evaluation and Monitoring Committee shall formulate guidelines to effectively
monitor and evaluate all concerned agencies for the proper implementation of this Act.

Section 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations, — The National Telecommuting and ICT-
Solutions Committee shall submit to the DICT general policy, technical, and administrative
guidelines on telecommuting and the use of ICT-based solutions within ninety (90) days from the
effectivity of this Act.

Upon review and approval of the same, the DICT shall promulgate the guidelines for
implementation. Government entities covered by this Act shall issue within one hundred twenty
(120) days their respective implementing rules and regulations on telecommuting and the use of
ICT-based solutions to mitigate traffic congestion, subject to guidelines to be issued by the DICT
or the Committee.

The IRR shall incorporate Performance Based Bonuses for agencies and government
employees compliant with the Transition Program and Roadmap for Telecommuting, subject to
such guidelines as may be issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Harmonization of
‘National Government Performance Monitoring, Information, and Reporting Systems, created
under Administrative Order No. 25, series of 2011.

Government entities shall thereafter implement this Act in accordance with their IRRs.
Subject to the rules and regulations referred to above, at least ten percent (10%) up to twenty-five
percent (25%) of the government workforce whose jobs may typically be performed away from
the office shall be required to work via telecommuting at least one (1) day per workweek.

Section 16. Separability Clause. ~ If any provision or part of this Act, or the application
thereof to any person or circumstances, is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining sections
of this Act or the application of such provision or part hereof to other persons or circumstance shall
remain in full force and effect.

Section 17. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, issuances, rules and regulations
or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or
modified accordingly.

Section 18. Hffectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,