DepEd MEMORANDUM

No. 043 s. 2020

GUIDELINES ON THE ALTERNATIVE WORK ARRANGEMENTS IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IN LIGHT OF THE COVID-19 STRINGENT SOCIAL DISTANCING
MEASURES

To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Minister, Basic, Higher and Technical Education, BARMM
Bureau and Service Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents
Public Elementary and Secondary School Heads
All Others Concerned

1. This guidelines provides for the work arrangements in the Department of Education
(DepEd) in implementation of the Memorandum issued by the Office of the President (OP),
through Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea, and citing Joint Resolution Nos. 11 and
12 (s. 2020) of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious
Diseases (IATF).

2. The Memorandum titled Stringent Social Distancing Measures and Further Guidelines
for the Management of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation provides
guidance on work-related gatherings and meetings and work arrangements in the context of
stringent social distancing in the National Capital Region (NCR) for thirty days starting 00:00
a.m. of March 15, 2020 until 00:00 a.m. of April 14, 2020.

3. In its implementation of the measures, DepEd shall be guided by the following

framework:

a. Observance of stringent social distancing measures by all DepEd offices,

units, and schools located within NCR (including Region IV-B
MIMAROPA Regional Office Proper). The social distancing measures are
for the protection of each official, teaching and nonteaching personnel of
DepEd, the immediate community and the country, and for the achievement
of public health objectives such as the mitigation of the scale and speed of
community transmission of COVID-19, as well as the conservation of the
adequacy of the country's health system and infrastructure to deal with the
situation.

b. Continuity of delivery of DepEd essential services and priority

programs, while observing stringent social distancing measures in
work-relate functions and responsibilities.
 c. Consistency of the actions of each official, teaching and nonteac •ng personnel
in the context of work and private activities, to ensure that the public health
objectives are achieved and not compromised by inconsistent actions and
behavior of individuals.

DepEd Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City 1600 8633-7208/8633-7228/8632-1361 8636-4876/8637-6209 www.deped.gov.ph
4. Consistent with the above framework, all Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries,
and Regional Directors in Regional Offices NCR and IVB, are hereby directed to do the
following:

a. Identify the essential and priority deliverables covering all offices and units located within NCR
under their supervision for the period of March 16 to April 14, 2020.

b. Determine the Alternative Work Arrangement that will maximize social distancing for all
officials and personnel, while ensuring delivery of essential and priority deliverables, and taking
into consideration factors such as but not limited to exigency of the service, availability of
manpower, specific health risks of personnel, and their available transportation arrangements.
Alternative Work Arrangements shall be applicable to all personnel, including those hired under
Job Order (JO) and Contract of Service (COS). Heads of Offices shall be given the discretion in
the determination of the alternative work arrangement that is applicable for each functional
office, guided by the following parameters:

i. Office operations of eight (8) hours a day from Monday to Friday of each week shall be
maintained for continued delivery of quality services to the public, internal clients, and other
stakeholders. As such, in determining the work arrangement, the office must ensure that
there is a sufficient number personnel in the office to render the said services.

ii. In determining the number and deployment of personnel that will be assigned to be present
at the office, equitable distribution shall be observed. The following personnel shall be
exempted from being assigned to be present at the office:

1. Personnel who are at high risk to infections including but not limited to pregnant
women; age sixty (60) years and above; Persons Under
Monitoring (PUM) or Persons Under Investigation (PUI); and
personnel with the following illness and/or pre-existing medic
conditions:
gh,
a. Mild manifestations of symptoms such as fever, dry co
fatigue, sputum production, sore throat, headache,
myalgia or arthralgia, chills, nausea or vomiting, nasal congestion, diarrhea;
b. Severe manifestations such as difficulty of breathing and/or respiratory rate greater
than or equal to 30/ minute; and
c. Underlying medical problems, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer,
chronic lung disease, and immunosuppression.

2. Personnel residing outside NCR, taking into consideration exposure during travel,
limited modes of public transportation options, imposition of curfew, and regulatory
limitations on intermunicipality/ city travel.

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 iii. Telecommuting is an alternative work arrangement that allows employees to work from
home or other off-site locations; provided that personnel must be readily accessible during
working hours and must be able to respond to directives, requests, and queries through
agreed modes of communication with their immediate supervisor. Personnel who will not
form part of the office-assigned officers and personnel based on the office weekwork plan,
including the exemptions enumerated above, shall render services through telecommuting
arrangements.

iv. A Workweek Plan (see attached template in Enclosure 1) indicating the consolidated
individual staff schedule for both office-assigned and telecommuting personnel shall be
submitted by division chiefs or unit heads, subject to the approval of
the Head of Office. The workweek plan shall each personnel's
office work and scheduled telecommutin arrangements with period of
hours per day indicated.

c. Adopt a monitoring and reporting mechanism to validate performan of

assigned work and functions, and ensure delivery of committed essential services and priority
programs.

Each personnel shall submit at the end of each week an Individual Workweek Accomplishment
Report (see attached template in Enclosure 2) reflecting their actual days of attendance to work
(on-site and off-site) and time log per day with corresponding weekly output.

d. Cancel or postpone all nonessential meetings or gatherings, while adopting teleconferencing

technologies for all essential meetings or gatherings. Essential meetings that need to be done
face-to-face shall observe strict health and social distancing measures, and must be approved at
the level of the Secretary, Undersecretaries, Assistant Secretaries, or Regional Directors.

e. Adopt stringent health and social distancing protocols in the workplace, during travel, and in
the private premises and activities to be observed by all officals and personnel at all times.
Personnel reporting for work shall be provided alternative work mechanisms and necessary
preventive health support such as but not limited to appropriate technologies to minimize
faceto-face contact, protective equipment (if necessary and subject to availability), and
adequate supply of proper hygiene and sanitizing agents such as hand sanitizers or alcohol.

5. Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries, Bureau and Service Directors, Regional Directors, and
Schools Division Superintendents must ensure their availability for decision-making and effective
supervision of all work arrangements at all times.

6. To avoid risks of exposure pending the undertaking of paragraph 4 hereof, all personnel in DepEd
offices in NCR shall work from home tomorrow, March 16, 2020, except for those specifically identified
by the Secretary and by Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries, through their respective Bureau and
Service Directors, as well as by Regional Directors of NCR and IVB, to report for work. All those
reporting for work on March 16, 2020 shall observe existing health precautions and stringent social
distancing measures not only in the work premises, but also during their travel to and from the office, and
in their private premises and activities.

7. Pursuant to Item No. 1 of the same OP Memorandum which states that "[c]lasses and all school
activities in all levels shall continue to be suspended until 14 April 2020," all teaching and nonteaching
personnel in elementary and secondary schools in NCR, and in other areas where class suspension on
account of COVID-19 is officially declared by their respective LGUs, shall not be required to report to
work during the period of class suspension.

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8. In areas outside NCR where community quarantine based on guidelines by the IATF or the DOH
has been imposed by the appropriate authorities, the framework and the directives herein shall also be
applied.

9. The DepEd Task Force COVID-19 is hereby directed to issue the uniform and minimum standards
for social distancing within the workplace, during travel, and in private premises and activities.

10. All DepEd officials, teaching and nonteaching personnel are enjoined to monitor the day-to-day
developments of the COVID-19 situation to be able to contribute to informed, coordinated, and
proportionate response of the Department to the challenge of containing and managing COVID- 19.

11. Further guidelines shall be issued to clari9, amend, refine or supplement the above measures, or to
align them with directives of the President, recommendations of the IATF and/or the Department of
Health, and other applicable rules, regulations and guidelines.

12. This Memorandum takes effect immediately upon issuance.

13. Immediate dissemination of this Memorandum is desired.

L
Secretary
Encl:
N one Reference:

N one
To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following
subjects:
ATTENDANCE
BUREAUS AND OFFICES
EMPLOYEES
OFFICIALS
SCHOOLS
TEACHERS
UNITS
WORK HOURS
(Enclosure No. 1 to DepEd Memorandum No. 043 , s. 2020)
OFFICE WORKWEEK PLAN
Division:
Bureau/ Service:

To the Personnel Division/ Section/ Unit:

In compliance with the Guidelines for Alternative Work Arrangements and Support
Mechanisms for Personnel in the Department of Education for the Duration of the State of Public Health
Emergency, the (division/officeì is hereby submitting the workweek plan for (Date-Date, 2020).

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 Name of Position Preexisting Days of Work Attendance and Signature
Health
Personnel Time and Period
Condition
and/or
disease 16 17 18 19 20
applicable)
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
Ex. Juan del None (Onsite) (Telec
PDO 8-5PM ommu
(Telec
site)
site) ommu
Mundo 111 te) 8- 8-
8-5PM te) 8-
5PM 5PM
5PM

Ex. Maria PDC) 11 (Teleco (Telec (Teleco (Telec (Telec

Pregnant mmute) ornmu mmute ornrnu ommu
Juana dela
Cruz 8-5PM te) 8- te) 8- te) 8-
8-5PM
5PM 5PM 5PM

1.

2.

Submitted by:
(Name and Signature of Division/ Office Head) Date:

Approved by:
(Name and Signature of Bureau/ Service Director) Date:
(Enclosure No. 2 to DepEd Memorandum No. 043 , s. 2020)

INDIVIDUAL WORKWEEK ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT

Name of Personnel: Baselides H. Gamulo Division/

Office:
Bureau/
Position: Service:

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 (Signature of Personnel) Date:

Verified by:

(Name & Signature of Division Chief/Office Head)

Date:

INDIVIDUAL WORKWEEK ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT

Name of Personnel: Baselides H. Gamulo Division/

School: Col. Rosalio C. Saludares E/S Office:
Bureau/
Position: Teacher III Service:

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 Actual Days of Attendance Actual Time log Actual Accomplishment Output
to Work
Monday, June 1, 2020
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Friday, June 5, 2020

Prepared by:

BASELIDES H. GAMULO
Name & Signature

Approved by:

MERLYN M. KABINGUE
Principal I

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