CEBU City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña has offered to help employees of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies who were allegedly forced to return to work immediately after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake last Tuesday night, Sept. 30, 2025.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Oct. 2, Osmeña said he received information that a Cebu-based BPO firm allegedly instructed its employees to return to work shortly after the earthquake, even as aftershocks continued and building safety had yet to be assured.
Osmeña urged affected employees to directly message him with all available details, including the company name, the person who issued the order to return to work and a complete timeline of events.
He said he needed to be sure the reports were true, but that if they were confirmed, he would do more than just file a complaint with the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole).
“I will personally contact every known local and overseas client that company has to tell them what kind of company they hired. We will hit them where it hurts,” he added.
The warning came after a screenshot allegedly from a Cebu-based BPO circulated online, instructing employees to immediately return to work after the quake.
The message read: “Calls are piling up in the queue. Please go back inside and log in ASAP. Anyone who decides to go home will be tagged AWOL. Let’s do our part and keep the lines moving.”
The directive drew widespread criticism, with many netizens condemning what they described as a disregard for employee safety.
Amid the growing backlash, the BPO Industry Employees Network (Bien)-Cebu filed a complaint before the Dole 7 on Thursday, citing at least 10 BPO firms for possible violations of occupational safety and health standards in the aftermath of the quake.
Bien-Cebu spokesman Kyle Enero said the group sought the intervention of Dole 7 Director Roy Buenafe and called for immediate action to protect BPO employees from further risks. He declined to name the firms involved to safeguard workers from retaliation.
Enero said some companies allegedly ordered workers to return to production floors just 30 minutes after the tremor without safety clearance, while others offered double pay to continue working despite safety concerns.
Employees who went home reportedly faced suspensions, pay cuts, or the loss of bonuses, while a pregnant worker was left unaided to descend several flights of stairs during evacuation.
He added that clearance from building engineers is not sufficient, emphasizing that occupational safety and health officers must assess imminent danger before employees are asked to resume work.
On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Dole 7 reminded employers to ensure that no worker is forced to choose between safety and livelihood during disasters. Under Labor Advisory 1 (2020) and Labor Advisory 17 (2022), employers may suspend work in coordination with safety officers, while employees who refuse to work due to imminent danger cannot be sanctioned or penalized.
Enero said no affected BPO companies have issued a statement or opened dialogue with the group, but Bien-Cebu is expected to meet with Dole 7 officials early next week to push for an investigation. / CAV