Iloilo city and province implement compressed work schedule
By Mary Joy Cavañas
The city and provincial governments of Iloilo have adopted the four-day work week in line with the Memorandum Circular No. 114 of the Office of the President in response to the rising fuel costs due to geopolitical tension in the Middle East.
Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas issued Executive Order No. 030, Series of 2026, or the Energy Conservation Protocol of the Iloilo City Government effective on March 9, 2026.
Under the said EO, the city government adopted the four-day onsite work arrangement from Monday to Thursday. Employees will do community engagement/fieldwork or work remotely during Friday.
The Energy Conservation Protocol applies to all city government offices and units. Under this protocol, Air conditioners must be set to 24°C, lights will be turned off at noon (except at designated areas), equipment shall be set to sleep mode, elevators will be used minimally, virtual meetings prioritized, and fleets optimized with trip consolidation and route planning. Also, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Officers will be designated for this initiative.
Department heads must also monitor attendance and work. Overtime shall only apply to physical work beyond standard hours. This arrangement stays until changed by national circulars.
Meanwhile, frontline services such as health, social welfare, public safety, transportation, disaster response, treasury, business permits, and others designated by the mayor will maintain their regular operations with service desks at the ground floor of Iloilo City Hall.
Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., on the other hand, has yet to issue an executive order as of press time but has announced that the province will implement a 4-day compressed workweek and strict adherence to cost-saving energy measures to reduce operation cost on Capitol-owned facilities.
The governor also instructed the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office to accelerate the implementation and release of programs and projects on green energy under the Government Energy Management Plan (GEMP).
Meanwhile, several local government units have also announced the adoption of the four-day workweek in their respective localities. These are: Bingawan, New Lucena, Dueñas, Oton and Balasan.
The four-day workweek aims to conserve energy and reduce fuel consumption amid rising global fuel prices.
