One dedicated commuter’s flood-defying journey to the office has become a genuine point of quiet office legend amid this week’s Habagat disruptions
MAKATI CITY Local accounting associate Ramon Villareal has achieved a genuinely perfect attendance record throughout this week’s Habagat-driven flooding and widespread class suspensions, a streak he attributes entirely to the specific, cruel fact that university students got a government-mandated day off while his own employer’s suspension policy remained conspicuously, permanently silent.
How Villareal Actually Made It Into The Office Each Day
A combination of an unusually early departure time, a rerouted commute avoiding the worst-hit streets in Rizal and several flooded intersections, and what he describes as “genuine, sustained resentment fueling every single step of that walk.”
What His Actual Commute Looked Like During Peak Flooding
Knee-deep water at two separate intersections, a jeepney route suspended entirely requiring an improvised alternate path, and a general commute time nearly tripling from its normal duration.
How His Coworkers Reacted To His Continued Presence Each Morning
Genuine, mounting disbelief, several specifically asking why he hadn’t simply worked from home given the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s own casualty reports from the same storm system.
Why He Continued Making The Commute Regardless Of These Reports
Genuine uncertainty about his employer’s remote work policy combined with what he admits was “probably some unnecessary personal stubbornness about proving a point nobody was actually asking me to prove.”
What His Employer Has Actually Said About This Situation
Limited direct acknowledgment beyond a company-wide email noting “employees should use their best judgment,” language Villareal found “genuinely unhelpful during an actual tropical cyclone.”
What This Reveals About The Gap Between Public Sector And Private Sector Storm Response
A genuine, familiar frustration for many Metro Manila office workers, watching government offices and schools receive clear suspension guidance while private employers leave storm-response decisions vaguely undefined during exactly the weather events requiring the clearest guidance. Further Philippine news coverage continues at bohiney.com.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com