The Laoag City government, headed by Mayor Michael V. Fariñas, started full implementation of the four-day workweek on April 4.

The four-day workweek is in line with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Administrative Order which calls for government agencies to follow a four-day workweek for April and May this year to conserve on energy. Frontline government agencies like the Philippine National Police (PNP), government hospitals and other health centers however had been exempted from the said schedule.

The earlier schedule of 8:00 am to 7:00 pm however was changed back to the 7:30 am to 6:30 pm schedule as was contained in Arroyo’s order following complaints from city government employees from rural barangays that they would be forced to hire tricycles when they go home.

“Kasi mangarkila kano met ngaminen kaadwan dagiti empleyadosen no rumabiin (I was informed that most of the City Hall employees would have to hire a tricycle at night since there would no longer be jeepneys available at the time),” Fariñas explained.

City Hall officials earlier thought of modifying the schedule to 8:00 am to 7:00 pm as they observed that several employees could not meet the 8:00 am regular schedule and making the office hours start earlier at 7:30 am these same employees may never make it in time.

In line with this, Fariñas asked the local media to disseminate the information that City Hall would be operating from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm from Monday to Thursday only.

Dominic B. dela Cruz