(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
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Also, the provincial gov’t of N. Samar
TACLOBAN CITY — The city governments of Tacloban and Borongan have officially returned to a standard Monday-to-Friday work schedule, signaling a shift away from the four-day or compressed workweek arrangements implemented earlier as part of energy conservation efforts.
In Tacloban City, Mayor Alfred Romualdez issued an advisory stating that beginning May 18, all city government offices will resume regular operating hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, under Memorandum Order No. 2026-05-99.
Romualdez said the city will discontinue the previous work-from-home arrangement every Friday as well as the compressed workweek scheme.
“The city government of Tacloban will no longer continue the adopted work-from-home arrangement every Friday and the compressed workweek arrangement. However, we will continue the strict implementation of energy conservation measures across all offices to ensure efficient and uninterrupted delivery of public services for all Tacloban residents,” the city mayor said in a statement issued on Friday, May 15.
The mayor added that while normal office operations are being restored, energy-saving practices will remain in place to ensure efficiency in government service delivery.
In Borongan City, Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda also ordered the return to the five-day workweek through Executive Order No. BC-1305-0062, citing the need to improve public service accessibility, inter-office coordination, and processing efficiency.
City Hall employees in Borongan have resumed the regular Monday-to-Friday schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while maintaining reasonable energy conservation measures.
The city government earlier implemented a compressed four-day work week in line with national directives on energy conservation amid rising fuel costs and electricity-saving measures.
However, officials said the arrangement led to reduced public access to government services, particularly on Fridays, and caused delays in transactions such as permits, payments, procurement, and document processing.
Borongan officials also noted that extended daily working hours, combined with limited office operations on Fridays, affected productivity and required overtime work and special arrangements for frontline offices.
Despite the return to the regular schedule, Borongan City will continue implementing energy efficiency measures, including regulated air-conditioning use during office hours.
Meanwhile, other local government units in Eastern Visayas, including the provincial government of Northern Samar and the municipal government of Abuyog in Leyte, have also restored their regular five-day workweeks after previously adopting shortened schedules due to fuel price increases and energy conservation directives linked to global supply pressures, including the Middle East fuel situation.
Local officials said the return to normal working schedules aim to improve public service delivery while maintaining cost-saving and energy efficiency measures in government operations.
JOEY A. GABIETA
