Koko wants BSP check clearing unit excluded from work suspension

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. BSP.GOV.PH

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III is pushing for the exclusion of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) check clearing unit from work suspension orders to ensure uninterrupted operations of vital businesses in the country.

Pimentel on Tuesday urged Malacañang to make sure that a critical agency like the BSP, particularly its check clearing units, remains open when it suspends work in government offices in instances that do not include regular holidays or inclement weather, saying work stoppages were “bad for business.”

“When the Executive suspends work in government offices during events like the transport strike or declares extended stretches of work suspensions due to activities like the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), businesses are adversely affected,” he said.

He further explained that suspension of check clearing operations disrupts many business activities, including the operations of banks and the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Pimentel made the call following the two-day suspension of work last week due to the nationwide transport strike and the upcoming three special nonworking days from Nov. 13 to 15 to make way for the country’s hosting of the 31^st Asean Summit.

“Just as vital government operations like law enforcement and agencies like the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority remain operational during situations like these, so must a critical agency like the BSP remain open so that the business of doing business is not affected,” said the senator.

He said government work stoppages, on top of the many national and local holidays observed in the country, were not only bad for business but also for contractual workers under a “no work, no pay” rule.

At some point, the government must “rationalize and limit” national and local holidays since many work days are lost due to typhoons and flooding, said Pimentel.

“If we want to attract investors and continue to grow our economy, we have to do this if we want to be able to compete with the other developing Asian economies,” he added.