20% of NCR firms did not comply with interim guidelines to control, prevent COVID-19

July 14, 2020

Twenty percent of the business establishments in the National Capital Region (NCR) have not complied with interim guidelines on workplace prevention and control of COVID-19 of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

In a statement Tuesday, DOLE NCR regional director Sarah Mirasol said out of the 5,049 companies it monitored from June 8 to July 1, the overall compliance rate was seen at  80 percent.

"About 4,062 business establishments in the NCR have complied with our interim guidelines," said Mirasol.

"When we say compliant, that means the employer has an established health and safety practices in their workplaces amid COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with the interim guidelines," she said.

This, she said, include wearing of face masks; maintaining physical distance of one meter at all times; checking and recording daily the temperature of their workers and visitors using health symptoms questionnaire; and ensuring sanitation and disinfection process inside their work areas and outside their office premises, among others.

The top five monitored industries in Metro Manila are accommodation and food services with a total of 18,641 workers from 1,581 establishments; other service activities with 30,959 workers from 1,098 establishments; wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles with 12,252 workers from 1,600 establishments; manufacturing with 17,308 workers from 172 establishments; and administrative and support services with 53,093 workers from 124 establishments.

The area with the highest number of monitored establishments in NCR were in Muntaparlas (Muntinlupa, Taguig, Parañaque, Las Piñas) cluster with 1,415 covering 37,378 workers; followed by Papamamarisan (Pasig, Pateros, Mandaluyong, Marikina, San Juan) with 1,243 covering 68,835 workers; Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) with 946 covering 19,699 workers; Makati-Pasay with 548 covering 19,876 workers; Quezon City with 508 covering 18,894 workers; and Manila with 389 covering 5,048 workers.

Mirasol said the labor department would be extending assistance and technical support to all workplaces, employers, and workers in complying with the guidelines.  DMS