ILOILO — The Iloilo provincial government will implement a four-day workweek as part of its energy conservation efforts in compliance with Memorandum Circular No. 114 issued by the Office of the President, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. announced.
Defensor said the provincial government decided to adopt the compressed work schedule following a meeting of the Provincial Community Action Defense Cluster on Tuesday morning, March 10, where officials discussed how to implement the directive of President Marcos aimed at reducing government energy consumption.
“We considered it and the cluster decided that we will have a four-day work week subject to exceptions,” Defensor said.
The governor said details of the new arrangement — particularly which provincial offices will be exempted from the compressed schedule — will be outlined in an executive order that he is expected to release soon.
Earlier, Defensor admitted that implementing a four-day workweek in the provincial government may pose challenges because some offices carry heavy workloads that may not fit into a compressed four-day schedule.
Aside from adopting the four-day workweek, the governor said the provincial government also supports the President’s directive to fast-track renewable energy initiatives, noting that the province already has programs in place.
“We will implement conservation measures as wished by the President and we will integrate that with our conservation measures nga nahimo na naton sang nagliligad kag idugang pa gid naton ang specifics sang probinsya. Number two, ang ayo sang Presidente nga we will fast-track the implementation sang aton (renewable) energy program, that is good,” Defensor added.
Defensor said the province has already been implementing energy-saving policies under Memorandum Order No. 182, issued by Provincial Administrator Raul Banias in September 2023.
Under the order, provincial government offices — including satellite offices and hospitals — are required to follow cost-saving measures such as switching off lights and electrical devices when not in use, reducing light usage by 25 percent during office hours and by 75 percent from 12 noon to 1 p.m., and unplugging unused electrical equipment before leaving the office.
The directive also states that centralized air-conditioning units should be turned on no earlier than 8 a.m. and switched off no later than 4 p.m., unless otherwise approved by the provincial administrator.
Electric cooking devices such as rice cookers and microwave ovens are strictly prohibited in government offices, while employees are also encouraged to use the stairs instead of elevators whenever practicable as part of the province’s broader energy conservation campaign./PN