Free shuttle services and flexible work arrangements are some of the solutions being worked out by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for its employees to be affected by the transfer of its main office in Mandaluyong City in Metro Manila to Clark City in Pampanga.
In a statement, DOTr said that as the primary department tasked to manage transportation systems and traffic decongestion plans in the Philippines, it is taking the lead in transferring its main office to Clark as part of efforts to decongest Metro Manila and help boost development in its peripheries.
DOTr cited a study released by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in September 2014 that states that traffic congestion in Metro Manila is costing the country at least P2.4 billion a day. Moreover, if the situation is not resolved, the cost could balloon to P6 billion a day by 2030.
“Taking into consideration the welfare of its employees, the DOTr management conducted dialogues and discussions with members of the DOTr union and employees to thresh out issues, differences, and fears about the transfer,” the agency said.
Solutions agreed upon include providing free shuttle services to and from Clark, implementing flexible time and a four-day work week schedule, and providing affordable food, the department said. Discussions on subsidized accommodations are also ongoing.
DOTr employees are likewise given the option to transfer or be detailed to any of its attached agencies. Conversely, employees from DOTr-attached agencies who wish to be based in Clark are also being given the chance to move to the DOTr.
Rollout of the transfer will be done in batches to ensure systematic and efficient transition. The first batch of offices will transfer to Clark on July 28, with the whole process expected to be completed by year-end.
DOTr said the transfer will not entail additional expenses for the department.
“In fact, the department is expecting savings owing to less rental and overhead costs in Clark, as well as gaining potential income from opening its units in Columbia Towers for lease,” it noted.
With the relocation and leasing of its units combined, DOTr is seen to earn about P9.3 million a year from the transfer.
Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said that while not easy, the relocation to Clark will push whether their new office building is “finished or not finished.”
Aside from DOTr, other government offices in Metro Manila are also expected to move to Clark City, the development project that will become the country’s first and only smart and green metropolis.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
