Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _________ 
Introduced by:  REP. SALVADOR A. PLEYTO, SR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry is a 
major contributor to the country’s growth and development.  Following the enactment of the 
Special Economic Zone and establishment of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority in 
1995, multinational call center companies started their operations in the country. 
Outsourcing has become a common business strategy for many multinational firms 
because of the lower cost of producing a particular product or service in another country.  
Growth in the IT-BPO industry continues to show significant improvements over the years. 
With a considerable huge number of people employed in this growing sector, it is 
imperative that there must be a labor law that conforms with the special characteristics of the 
IT-BPO industry and the welfare and protection of its workers and employees should be 
rightfully observed. 
This bill seeks to institutionalize a Magna Carta for IT-BPO workers.  This will 
further set the standard of treatment of BPO workers, protect them from understaffing and 
overloading of work and give them the opportunity for a security of tenure. 
In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this bill is hereby earnestly sought. 
SALVADOR A. PLEYTO, SR.       
August 1, 2023
1:47 pm
8678


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _________ 
Introduced by:  REP. SALVADOR A. PLEYTO, SR. 
AN ACT ENSURING THE WELFARE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- 
BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING (IT-BPO) WORKERS IN THE 
PHILIPPINES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title – This Act shall be known as the “IT-BPO Workers Welfare Act”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy – It is hereby declared the policy of the State to afford 
full protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized, and promote full 
employment and equal employment opportunities for all. 
The State shall strive to improve and safeguard the social and economic status, living 
and working conditions, terms of employment, professional growth and career development 
of workers in the IT-BPO industry. 
SEC. 3. Coverage – This Act shall cover all employees and workers in the IT-BPO 
Industry. 
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act, the term: 
a) Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing or “IT-BPO” - refers to the
assignment of an organization’s process to a third-party provider who uses an
Information Technology based service delivery system;
b) Call Center – is a type of BPO and refers to a centralized office for receiving and
transmitting assignments and requests by telephone or internet;
c) Call Center/BPO Agent – refers to any person employed by a call center to manage
and execute calls;
d) Health – refers to the state of well-being of a worker, who is at his or her sound
physical and mental condition;
8678


e) Occupational Illness – refers to any illness caused by environmental factors at work 
or working conditions; 
  
SEC. 5. Rights of Call Center/BPO Employees – Call center employees and workers 
shall enjoy the following rights: 
 
a) The right to organize and join labor organizations; 
 
b) The right to a safe and healthy workplace; 
 
c) The right to be informed of the terms and conditions of their employment contract. 
 
d) The right to privacy of call center employees shall be respected.  Monitoring of 
personal phone calls, electronic mail, short message service and text messages shall 
not be allowed, and in the event their official phone conversations or messages are 
monitored, they must be informed of this at all times prior to the start of the 
monitoring process. 
 
e) They shall have at least one (1) hour continuous meal break in the middle of every 
eight (8) hour shift; 
 
f)   Employees working in the night shift shall have the right to stay in a comfortable 
resting area within the company’s premises until daybreak to ensure their safety; 
 
g) Covered by the existing Labor Code of the Philippines. 
 
 
SEC. 6. Duties of Employers in the IT-BPO Industry – It is the duty of call center 
companies to observe the following: 
 
a) Establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment which will facilitate 
optimal physical and mental health in relation to the work of call center employees; 
 
b) Monitoring software should not be used to unduly pressure employees and should 
not impose an oppressive working environment; 
 
c) Employers should incorporate regular rest breaks and changes in activity for all 
display screen equipment users; 
 
d) Employers are required to carry out risk assessments and to remove monotonous 
work; 
 
e) Employers shall ensure that there is no understaffing or overloading of BPO 
workers.  
 


SEC. 7. Regularization – All IT-BPO workers allowed to work after the completion of 
the six (6) month period of employment as trainee or apprentice, or upon the completion of a 
maximum probationary training period of six (6) months, shall be considered as regular 
employees. 
 
SEC. 8. Occupational Health and Safety Standards – The Department of Labor and 
Employment (DOLE) is hereby tasked to establish an Occupational Health and Safety 
Standards for BPO work. 
 
SEC. 9. Separability Clause – If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
 
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, 
letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent with 
the provisions of this Act, is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
 
SEC. 11. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
KEY FEATURES OF IT-BPO BILL 
 
-BPO employees will have the right to join labor organizations.  As such, they will be well 
represented in every collective bargaining and negotiations relating to their rights and benefits. 
 
-The hours of work of IT-BPO employees shall be governed by the provision of the Labor 
Code of the Philippines 
 
-The continuing technological innovations in our country and the unique operational set-up of 
BPO companies may result to new types of occupational hazards that our IT-BPO workers are 
exposed to. Hence, the DOLE is tasked to institute an Occupational Health and Safety 
Standards for IT-BPO work. 
 
-IT-BPO workers will have a security of tenure