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Seven worker-friendly alternatives to retrenchment

Our company is losing money due to poor market conditions. We’re thinking of implementing a compulsory redundancy program to cut our manpower costs. Before we finalize everything, please give me your thoughts on other options that we could take before we implement such plan of cutting our manpower size. We’d like to find out if we missed on other worker-friendly alternatives. — First Samurai.

A group of teenagers, obviously without money for admission tickets, milled around near one of the entrances of a basketball stadium. A wealthy-looking gentleman passing by said to the ticket taker in a voice resonant with authority: “Let these kids in and tell me how many there are.” The boys filed in and scampered delightedly inside the stadium.

As the last one entered the gate, the ticket-taker said to the man: “Thirty-four in all!” The man nodded. “Right you are,” he said, as he walked backed and lost himself outside the gate to blend with the crowd.

Having to count and cope with the losses isn’t an easy thing to do. It’s made even more difficult if the workers being targeted for dismissal have worked for the organization over a long period. And you don’t even know whom to blame — is it poor management or inefficient workers?

This is one of the major reasons why redundancy or retrenchment is often difficult to implement even if you follow the legal process. It’s emotionally draining if the people involved have positive work relationships with the workers and the bosses are reluctant to terminate.

Sometimes, even if you comply with the legal process, the result is often not healthy to the survivors’ morale. Therefore, before you turn to the last resort of dismissing people, explore the following common-sense options to help you eliminate, if not minimize possible difficulties that could happen before you even think of retrenchment:

One, stop hiring new employees right away. Sometimes, managers will ask for an exemption to a hiring freeze as soon as they discovered a hot talent from outside the organization. If this happens, be firm.

Two, remove all manpower agency workers. Include part-timers and contractual workers on the list of those who will be dismissed. It would be difficult for management to justify maintaining these people in the face of redundancy of regular workers who may have the right to be retained.

Three, stop all workers from doing overtime work. If there’s no work to do during regular working hours, then how can you justify overtime work? Corollary to this, management must ensure that everyone performs their assigned tasks with actual, tangible results.

Four, allow people to exhaust all their paid leaves. In excess of their paid leaves, allow them to consider taking their sabbatical leave without pay so they can explore working for other organizations here and abroad, pursue graduate studies or consider a business opportunity.

Five, explore a secondment agreement with affiliates. These include the company’s suppliers, customers, subcontractors and other service providers accepting your workers to be assigned to them for a limited period while paying for their salaries.

Six, ask workers and managers to volunteer for a pay cut. Do this for a limited period and reverse it when the company has recovered. Included in the pay cut are bonuses and other gratuities that are often given when the company is earning money.

Last, offer programs to retrain people. Focus on problem-solving activities designed to help eliminate, if not reduce the amount of excessive expenses in the organization. Assign people to work in innovation centers, quality circles or any kaizen team.

The groundwork for minimizing the emotional atmosphere that surrounds an impending retrenchment program should be in place long before any changes are done. This can only happen if management conducts continuing two-way communication with employees. If the people are aware of the situation and of any forthcoming changes, it will help build a strong relationship with management.

Failure to communicate with employees in difficult situations, like in the case of retrenchment, will only fuel nasty rumors that may be disastrous in the short term. Therefore, as much as possible, always try to explain why retrenchment has become necessary, the reasons for it and the potential impact it will have on people, including those who have chosen to stay with the company for reduced pay and perks.

ELBONOMICS: It’s difficult to decide between walking away and working hard.

 

Send anonymous questions to elbonomics@gmail.com or via https://reyelbo.consulting

The film don’t fly

The Dead Don’t Die
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
DVD, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube

JIM JARMUSCH’s latest feature The Dead Don’t Die (2019) is arguably his most commercial effort yet, a fairly big-budgeted production* with high-profile cast — working I’m guessing for scale or free — and opening wide in the USA, around 600 theaters.

And I suppose the film is a disappointment. It’s casually shot, mainly extended footage of Adam Driver’s Officer Ronnie Peterson and Bill Murray’s Officer Cliff Robertson (?!) driving through their little town of Centerville, and perhaps the most interesting concept about the film’s offhand look is that everything including the outdoor scenes looks dimmed, as if someone had put filters on the sun; if anything the night scenes are more vividly lit, brute spots tight on specific areas surrounded by inky black.

The acting is even more inconsistent: there are times when the cast is on Jarmusch’s groove, tossing off conventional dialogue in a conventional fashion that sound bizarre because of context (“Did she just say ‘Chardonnay?’”); there are times when you sense the actors fidgeting because the camera’s still rolling and they’re wondering when Jarmusch is going to yell “Cut!” Or if he’s ever going to yell.

Even the premise sounds half-baked — polar fracking causing the Earth’s rotation to change? Granted climate change is real and may actually be contributing to a change in the earth’s axis, and granted fracking is a thing, has even been known to cause earthquakes — combining the two phenomena sounds like the product of an extended pot session, maybe something stronger.

Perhaps the earliest hint I had that the director seems more distracted than usual was in the scene where the police arrive at a diner to investigate dead bodies. Cliff walks in and looks around. “Wild animals?” he’s asked. Ronnie arrives, does the same. Officer Mindy (Chloe Sevigny) — their third colleague — repeats the action yet one more time. I thought leaving the camera waiting outside while each officer stepped in and out would’ve been funnier… but Jarmusch had to to go through the motions (plod in, look, plod out) thrice; his attention seemed focused on other priorities — whatever they are even after watching the film I’m still not quite sure.

As early as Stranger Than Paradise and as late as Only Lovers Left Alive, Jarmusch seemed gifted with the ability to frame his characters and stage his action with an Ozulike elegance — like they’re stranded in all these bleak open spaces, trying to suss out what they’re supposed to do with their lives.

Well, the folks in Stranger are trying to suss; the vampires in Only Lovers are past caring — perhaps the best they can hope for (though they refuse to admit it) is death.

That elegance seems missing here. In its place are obscure allusions and intricate in-jokes (Cliff Robertson? Ronnie Peterson? A tombstone marked “Sam Fuller”? A naked zombie straight out of Night of the Living Dead — played by the same actress?). You wonder if perhaps Jarmusch was trying to keep himself amused throughout the shoot.

Other odd details: having the zombies exhale black dust instead of squirting putrified bodily fluids feels like a cheat, if only because Jarmusch doesn’t seem averse to showing bloodied wounds or exposed viscera (he just doesn’t want extensive splatter). A stylistic choice, first time in any zombie movie as far as I know, but it seems like a lot to explain — and of course Jarmusch doesn’t even bother.

And yet it’s difficult to dislike the picture. If Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead is a passionately wrought parody of zombie movies, Jarmusch’s is a more shrugging what-the-hell subversion, the attitude at least as interesting (or uninteresting if you’re not a fan) as the execution — his opinion if you like of the genre in general (though he does profess an affection for voodoo zombies, and for George Romero).

I understand the feeling. Robert Altman’s Ready to Wear is generally condemned for being a slapdash satire of the world of fashion but I thought (not being particularly enthusiastic or knowledgeable about couture) it was exactly the kind of satire the industry deserved. Lazy criticism? Yes, but it’s how I feel.

Beyond the genre disdain you sense something more — a dissatisfaction with the status quo, a frustration with being surrounded by shadowy threats and general confusion, a desire to cleanse the world — or at least rid it of detritus — and start again.

Striding into the film is Tilda Swinton’s Scottish undertaker Zelda Winston. She looks and feels like she walked in from a whole other movie, moving (and on occasion posing) with an elegance that recalls earlier Jarmusch. And what does she do (Skip the rest of this paragraph if you haven’t seen the film!)? Ride a Smart car through the rest of the apocalypse into a field where she’s picked up by an alien spaceship. Says pages I think about where the director really wants to be; punchline is he directs an entire feature film to tell us all about it, scored to Sturgill Simpson’s theme song made specifically for the picture.

One of the best films of the year? It’s more complicated than that. I like it a lot; I like the shambling random pointlessness, which is apparently the point. I find it funnier than most recent movies that profess to be a comedy, but I suspect I’m bringing a lot of how I think and feel into the theater with me.

 

* Can’t find figures doing a casual online search, but if the marketing cost $3 million I’m guessing the budget is of comparable size.

How PSEi member stocks performed — October 3, 2019

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Thursday, October 3, 2019.

 

US worries over mineral access seen opening up investment

A US State Department program to ensure sustainable access to strategic minerals could open up opportunities for investment and new markets for the Philippines, a mining regulator said.

The Energy Resource Governance Initiative (ERGI), run by the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources, seeks to ensure sustainable access to 17 rare earth elements and 14 other minerals like copper, lithium, uranium and manganese.

ERGI could “open up other markets for the Philippines and baka may mga (there could be) US companies (who could invest in the Philippines) to explore for and possibly process rare earth minerals, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Director Wilfredo G. Moncano told BusinessWorld via phone.

China currently controls the supply of rare earths, which are considered strategic because of their use in advanced battery technologies, which are expected to drive the electric-car industry. They are also widely used in the telecommunications and defense industries.

Chinese control of a key resource has heightened fears in Washington that Beijing might someday retaliate in the current trade war by withholding rare earths, for which it is a major supplier as well as the lowest-cost producer.

Announced in June, ERGI, according to the State Department fact sheet, assumes a possible 1,000% increase in demand for “critical energy minerals” by 2050 and hopes to direct private investment in well-run, sustainable mining industries worldwide with the potential to safeguard US access to strategic materials.

Mr. Moncano estimated that rare earths are 95% controlled by China.

China’s willingness to use rare earths as leverage in the trade war was signalled by President Xi Jinping’s visit to a rare earths plant in May.

Reuters reported on Sept. 27 that nine countries, including the Philippines, are being considered as ERGI partners.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met the foreign ministers of the nine countries on Sept. 26 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Asked to comment, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Emmanuel R. Fernandez said that the Philippines has not yet committed to ERGI.

“There was no signing and the Philippines did not commit to anything. The Philippines only attended the briefing,” he said in a text message.

Chamber of Mines of the Philippines Executive Director Ronald S. Recidoro said ERGI is a positive development because the Philippines has untapped mineral reserves.

“The country has significant potential for copper, nickel, and other strategic minerals, which is still largely untapped,” he said in text message.

“Our participation in the initiative could lead to technology transfer and increased interest from major mining investors, which will help grow the mining industry from an economic and technical perspective,” he added.

In September, Analiza R. Teh, undersecretary for climate change and mining concerns of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), estimated that the Philippines is mining less than 2% of its potential mineral-bearing land.

“We have 30 million hectares of mining area, [that is only] 2%,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the Mining Conference 2019.

Mr. Moncano said the US is likely to invest in the best-run mining industries with coherent policy in place.

“Ang nakaka-discourage lang talaga sa (The thing that discourages) investors is (the) policy environment,” he said.

Former Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez banned open-pit mining in April 2017 and was supported by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, thereby denying mining companies a method which they consider the most efficient for extracting minerals.

Mr. Duterte rejected a proposal by the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) to lift the ban in November 2017.

The MGB has called the possible lifting of the ban a “political decision” and will also largely depend on the recommendation of Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu.

The industry is also in the middle of an overhaul of the way it is taxed. Bills increasing the share of the government in mining revenue have been filed in the 18th Congress.

One of the versions proposes a reduction of royalties on large-scale mining within mineral reserves to 3% of gross output from the current 5%, and the introduction of a 1-5% margin-based royalty on those outside mineral reserves.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III and Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri each filed bills which would increase the government’s share, while Representative Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda, chair of the House Ways and Means committee from Albay’s second district, said he will push for the use of 70% by the national and local governments, and 30% for a sovereign wealth fund.

He also proposed to implement an auction system for mining tenements instead of the current “first-come, first-served” basis. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Russia interested in exploring for energy, ambassador says

PHILIPPINE Ambassador to Moscow Carlos D. Sorreta said Russia has shown interest in exploring for energy resources in the West Philippine Sea, amid Philippine efforts to attract Russian investment in the energy sector.

Mr. Sorreta said Wednesday, according to a transcript provided by Malacañang, that the Russian authorities brought up the possibility of exploring the area for natural gas. “We’re looking beyond and we’re looking at Russia investing in our energy sector, setting up plants for natural gas,” he added.

He said, “(T)hey’re not a claimant (to the territory). If they come in, it’s really in full recognition of our sovereign rights and our right to explore or not to explore, to exploit, to not to exploit.”

“Russia is a exploration powerhouse… They’re in Africa, they’re in South America. They’re in Southeast Asia. They have the ability to drill under the most difficult conditions,” he said.

Other energy-related issues being considered with Russia include its possible participation the Philippines’ nuclear energy initiatives. Mr. Sorreta said preliminary talks are currently underway.

Mr. Sorreta said that the Philippines still needs to develop a policy that will govern the use of nuclear power. He added, “I hope there’s some move towards (developing) the policy and legal framework. Then… if we’re going to nuclear energy for power generation, we need to fix our research reactor.”

In the 17th Congress, the House of Representatives passed House Bill 8733, the proposed Comprehensive Nuclear Regulation Act, which will create a Philippine Nuclear Regulatory Commission (PNRC) and implement a national policy on the use of nuclear energy. This was passed on third and final reading. The Senate version of the bill was only passed at committee level.

The Philippines is also looking to attract Russian investment in other sectors such as agriculture sector and heavy industry.

“We’re trying to entice them to look at our available land to partner to produce agricultural products… the other thing is industry. They can help — they’re already exporting trucks, the two top brands from Russia are in the Philippines and we hope they will see… our capability to either build components or to assemble,” he said. — Gillian M. Cortez

House resolution seeks to tap CCT funds to procure palay

REPRESENTATIVE Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte, Jr., the Deputy Speaker from Camarines Sur’s 2nd district, filed a resolution to tap P29 billion worth of rice subsidy funds to procure palay, or unmilled rice, and make the social welfare department distribute rice directly instead of cash.

Mr. Villafuerte’s House Joint Resolution No. 16 asked Congress to authorize the use of the rice subsidy meant for beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program to procure palay, or unmilled rice.

“In order to help local farmers, the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) is in a position to distribute the rice subsidy under the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) in the form of actual kilos of rice, instead of a cash grant. The DSWD is also in a position to help in the buying of palay from farmers, which it can coordinate with the Department of Agriculture (DA). It shall then proceed to distribute rice to the 4Ps beneficiaries who shall receive their rice subsidy from DSWD-designated outlets,” Mr. Villafuerte said.

The price of palay, the form in which farmers sell their harvest, has been declining sharply because rice traders now prefer to acquire their stock from imports, which are cheaper. The government has since been organizing various direct-purchasing initiatives for palay to prop up the price and to ensure farmers get a “fair” return for their harvest.

Currently, on top of the CCT grant of P300 per month, 4Ps beneficiaries who are among the Philippines’ poorest also get P600 a month in cash to buy 20 kilos of rice.

The NFA reported that it has over 200,000 metric tons (MT) of imported rice in its warehouses as of Aug. 22, 2019, and was able to procure 360,657 bags of palay at 50 kilos per bag or equivalent to 209,525 MT.

“The problem of oversupply is expected to exacerbate during the period from September to October which is the peak palay harvest season,” Mr. Villafuerte said. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Palay farmgate price falls 0.6% in mid-Sept.

THE average farmgate price of palay, or unmilled rice, fell 0.6% week-on-week in the second week of September to P16.18 per kilogram (kg), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.

In its weekly price update, the PSA said the average wholesale price of well-milled rice fell 0.4% to P38.43 per kg. At retail, it rose 0.02% to P42.27.

The price of palay — the form in which domestic farmers sell their harvest — has been declining for months due to the presence of large volumes of imported grain in the market. Traders have been offering to buy at well below the government support price of P19 per kilo due to the soft market for palay. This has prompted the government to intervene by organizing direct purchasing by local governments, hoping to use public funds to establish a “fair” price for palay. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Manila worst-ranked regional city in ‘smart’ list

METRO Manila ranked 94th out of 102 in a “smart city” survey seeking to gauge the use of technology in improving the lives of residents conducted by Swiss business school IMD’s World Competitiveness Center and the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

The study sought to identify how “citizens perceive the scope and impact of efforts to make their cities ‘smart,’ balancing ‘economic and technological aspects’ with ‘humane dimensions.’”

The global index took in the views of 120 residents in each city and solicited their views on their city’s health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities, and governance.

Metro Manila had an overall rating of C, with AAA the highest and D the lowest.

The study found that the top five concerns of Metro Manila respondents were access to basic amenities, corruption, road congestion, air pollution, and security.

Metro Manila was the worst-ranked Southeast Asian city, with Singapore the top-rated city globally, followed by Zurich, Oslo, Geneva, Copenhagen, Auckland, Taipei, Helsinki, Bilbao, and Dusseldorf.

Of the region’s other cities, Ho Chi Minh City was 65th, Hanoi 66th, Kuala Lumpur 70th, Bangkok 75th, Makassar in Indonesia 80th, and Jakarta 81st.

“Smart cities are growing and blossoming in all parts of the world. Economic realities cannot be ignored: cities in poorer countries face disadvantages, which will require specific actions to correct along the path towards smartness,” said Professor Arturo Bris, Director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Davao amends incentive code to encourage projects outside city center

By Carmelito Q. Francisco
Correspondent

DAVAO CITY — The city government has amended its Investment Incentive Code by adding new perks including tax breaks for projects in “preferred areas” outside the city center and for hiring indigenous peoples (IPs) and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Approved last week, the new ordinance, according to Councilor Nilo G. Abellera, its author, “aims to provide a favorable and stable business climate consistent with the development needs of the city and will encourage new investments and will provide employment opportunities.”

The amendments are necessary to “make (the Code) more responsive and dynamic, and to harmonize it with the National Government’s initiatives, laws, and regulations on investment-related activities,” added Mr. Abellera in his explanatory note.

Aside from the changes in the composition of the Davao City Investment Incentive Board which expands its membership, among the key changes in the Code include three-year permit fee exemptions and tax deductions for certain costs, including locally-procured materials, as well as preferential treatment for industries listed as priority investment areas.

Projects set up in so-called preferred districts, or areas outside the commercial center of Davao City, will also be granted perks, as will the hiring of IPs and PWDs.

The specific mechanism for the IP and PWD hiring incentive is a deduction from gross income of the wages paid to such employees.

On the other hand, micro, small and medium enterprises currently doing business in industries classified as priority investment areas will be eligible to avail of all incentives granted to both new and expanded businesses.

Qualified social enterprises, which the board will define in the implementing rules and regulations, will be granted a 60% discount on business tax.

The new ordinance also encourages land owners to seek partners or sell their property for conversion into economic zones.

These property owners will be exempt from paying local transfer taxes, among others, while the business registered to run the economic zone will be exempt for two years from real property taxes, excluding the barangay’s share, and will receive help from the city in clearing the property of informal settlers.

Volume of undocumented workers complicating labor deal with Russia

THE continuing illegal recruitment of Filipino to Russia could complicate efforts to secure a Russian amnesty for undocumented workers, the ambassador to Moscow said.

According to a Malacañang statement, Ambassador Carlos D. Sorreta said there were ongoing talks to fast-track a government-to-government labor agreement, which could be endangered by the Philippines’ undocumented-worker problem in Russia.

“Kapag lumalaki lalo ‘yung illegally recruited, ang chances na magkaroon ng amnesty, lumiliit kasi naging masyadong marami ‘yung base na kailangan nilang bigyan ng amnesty (If the numbers of the illegally recruited rise, the chances for an amnesty diminish because they will have to amnesty more people),” he said.

“Kung gusto na natin ng labor agreement, kailangan itigil ‘yung illegal… Kailangan pakita natin sa Russian government na marunong tayo sumunod sa batas. Respetuhin natin ang mga proseso dahil habang wala — habang hindi nangyayari ‘yan, ang hirap po mag-negotiate ng agreement (If we want a labor agreement, we need to stop the flow of illegals. We need to demonstrate to the Russian government that we know how to follow the law. We should respect the process because until that happens, it will be hard to negotiate an agreement),” he added.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has been seeking a bilateral agreement with the Russian Federation. Most Filipinos in Russia are household service workers, with the market having no legal framework to govern it, though demand is high.

“Filipinos here in Russia are largely in the household sector. Mostly childcare and household service and in terms of number we have about 10,000. And most of them are not properly documented yet. So we’re working to get there,” he said. — Gillian M. Cortez

Tax agency sues 17 companies for failing to pay P700 million in taxes

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) yesterday filed criminal complaints before the Department of Justice against several companies for failing to pay a total of P700 million in taxes.

In a statement, the agency said it had issued notices and demands to 17 companies but they refused to pay.

Sued were Ski Construction Group, Inc., which had the biggest unpaid tax of P467.2 million for 2007, and businessmen Felipe L. Gozon and Paolo R. Prieto of INQ7 Interactive Inc., with a total tax liability of P23.48 million in 2006.

Local BMW dealer Prestige Cars, Inc. was also sued for failing to pay P68.4 million of its tax liability for 2007.

Also sued were Cliref Enterprises, for failing to pay P41.664 million and Meteor Shower Trading Co. for its tax liability worth P37.5 million.

“The respondents’ failure and continued refusal to file or pay their long overdue deficiency taxes, despite repeated demands, constitute willful failure to file or pay the taxes due to the government,” the bureau said.

The other companies that were sued were A-Frances Healthy Pharma Marketing Inc. (P21.1 million), Iventures, Inc. (P18,9 million), Lucky Charm Pub & Restaurant Corp. (P11.8 million), Information Products Corp., (P9.6 million), Calcarries International Inc. (P9.1 million) and Ulunday Construction and Development Corp. (P6.9 million).

Also joining the list were JP Med Asian Pacific Inc., (P4.7 million), Underground Logic Inc., (P4.1 million), Tridem Asia Publishing, Inc. (P3.8 million), Eurobrokers International Inc., (P3.1 million), Hernando Auson as sole proprietor of Supreme Lumber and Hardware, (P3.1 million) and Integrated Dynamic Service Inc. (P2.3 million), the bureau said.

Mr. Gozon, former chairman of INQ7, “has yet to receive a copy of the complaint,” GMA Network, Inc. spokesperson Angela Javier Cruz said in a statement. “He is ready to answer whatever charges as soon as he receives it.”

She added that as ex-INQ7 chairman, “he only presided over the meetings of the board and had no involvement or participation in the operations of the company.”

Mr. Gozon resigned from INQ7 in 2017, she said. — BML

Bill to limit holidays for productivity

By Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
Reporter

ALBAY Rep. Jose Ma. S. Salceda has filed a bill that seeks to limit the number of holidays to increase company productivity.

The lawmaker said the country has 21 to 25 public holidays yearly.

House Bill 5032 “proposes to rationalize holidays by limiting regular holidays which are non-working days to seven,” according to the measure’s explanatory note.

“All other holidays shall be made special days, which are working days, but giving the employees an allowance of seven non-working days to commemorate their chosen special days based on their cultural, religious and personal preference,” it said.

There are 10 regular holidays under the law.

Under the bill, special days will be expanded to the Chinese New Year, EDSA Revolution anniversary, lglesia ni Kristo founding anniversary, and the Nativity of the Blessed virgin Mary.

Currently, special days are limited to All Saints’ Day and New Year’s Eve.

The bill requires local government units to only have one local holiday to commemorate its founding, heroes, or patron saint. This means there will only be two local holidays — one for the province and one for the town or city.

American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc. Senior Adviser John D. Forbes said he supports the bill. “We commend the initiative of Congressman Salceda in proposing a bold reform,” he said in a mobile-phone message.

“Employers for years have said the country has too many non-working holidays. The proposal will seek to have the Association of Southeast Asian Nations average of 15 holidays. This will improve competitiveness,” he added.

Philippine Chamber of Commerce, Inc. President Alegria Sibal-Limjoco said the bill would be costly for companies.

“Imagine the added cost if I’m in IT-BPO and my clients observe different holidays so I must maintain my operations even on holidays,” he said.

The impact of more holidays for small and medium enterprises is on how to ensure sufficient staff cover, he said.

“They will have less capability to bear additional costs of they need to operate on holidays,” Ms. Limjoco said in a mobile-phone message.

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