The country’s public agencies have now ordered a temporary implementation of a four-day work week starting March 9 as part of the country’s efforts to conserve energy and reduce fuel use amidst the rising global oil prices caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
A Memorandum Circular (MC) 144 has been issued, stating that the order will cover all national government agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), local government units, constitutional bodies, state universities and colleges, and other government instrumentalities.
In other news, private companies have also been urged to consider adopting the four-day work week to reduce staggering energy being consumed by workday practices. Flexible work hours can reduce operating costs and diminish spending on billions of lost opportunities due to traffic congestion.
In a study conducted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Metro Manila’s traffic congestion costs the economy financial losses of up to PHP 3.5 billion per day, which may rise to PHP 5.4 billion daily by 2035 if unaddressed.
This has caused an uptick in public interest in conserving energy, including mobility in cities, pedestrian access, and cycling routes to help switch to more sustainable transportation and activities amidst the oil crisis.