WFH Setup for IT-BPO Firms Until September Pushed

Work from home setup of workers from the information technology business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry might be extended as the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is requesting the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) to extend the IT-BPO industry’s work from home arrangement until September 12 this year.

This news comes as PEZA recommended to the FIRB the continuation of the work from home arrangement of the BPO industry without the 10 percent onsite requirement and diminution of fiscal incentives.

The measures will help PEZA-registered companies to recover from the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a statement by PEZA released Thursday.

Moreover, PEZA cited Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law’s Rule 23, Section 3 for the measure.

Rule 23, Section 3 of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law, which allows IPAs to implement temporary measures under exceptional circumstances that include pandemic, epidemic, war, armed conflict, state of national health emergency, outbreak of diseases, international or regional financial crisis, major disaster such as volcanic eruption, earthquake and super typhoon, or analogous circumstances.

However, PEZA director general Charito Plaza said that PEZA has yet to receive word on FIRB’s decision regarding the recommendation.

PEZA deputy director general Tereso Panga recently highlighted the IT-BPO sector’s contributions in investments and jobs as the sector invested almost PHP330 billion in the ecozone and created 962,304 direct employment in the last 2 decades. (GFB)