• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Except for province-run hospitals and health facilities, the PDRRMO, and emergency response units, all employees of the provincial government of Negros Oriental also started March 9 the compressed four-day workweek arrangement.
Under Executive Order 28 signed by Governor Chaco Sagarbarria March 7 but made public yesterday, all employees in departments, offices, and units of the provincial government, including contract of service and job order workers, except for those in frontline and essential services, shall render 40 hours of work per week, with office hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Thursday, including a one-hour lunch break.
Heads of offices and their respective next-in-rank officials, as well as focal persons, shall be on call at all times to address urgent service requirements, the EO stressed.
All offices shall adopt practical energy-saving measures, including a disciplined use of air-conditioning, rational use of lighting, and switching-off of lights, computers, and other equipment when not in use, Sagarbarria also ordered, adding that “vehicle use shall be rationalized through trip consolidation and route planning, consistent with existing rules.”
The four-day compressed workweek as a flexible work arrangement supports the national government’s energy-conservation efforts, and aims to mitigate the impact of rising fuel prices due to the conflict in the Middle East, without prejudice to the delivery of public services, Sagarbarria said. | CGC
