IBA, Zambales — Fridays are now work-from-home days for provincial government workers in Zambales following the implementation of a four-day workweek program here to push energy conservation amid rising global oil prices due to the ongoing Middle East crisis.
On Monday, March 9, Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. issued Executive Order No. 1, series of 2026 directing local government units and instrumentalities to adopt energy conservation measures and flexible work arrangements to reduce electricity and fuel consumption and promote efficient use of resources.
The order followed the release by Malacañang on March 6 of Memorandum Circular 114 directing all government units and instrumentalities to strictly adopt energy conservation protocols.
Under EO 1, Ebdane set a four-day workweek from Monday to Thursday, with daily working hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Fridays being work-from-home days to allow personnel to perform tasks remotely while maintaining productivity and operational continuity.
Ebdane, however, directed the provincial engineering office and the four hospital units in the province to maintain regular office work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to provide essential on-site services.
Likewise, the provincial government’s accounting, treasury, general services, and disaster management offices to maintain a skeleton workforce, with a duty officer on Fridays, to continue operations, Ebdane said.
Aside from the flexible workweek schedule, Ebdane’s EO 1 directed government units to adopt virtual meetings as the default mode for conferences, consultations, and coordination whenever feasible.
EO 1 also limited official travels, out-of-town trainings and seminars to only those absolutely necessary, and enforced trip consolidation and optimized routes for government vehicles to reduce fuel consumption.
Ebdane said he expects all municipal government units to follow suit and implement their own energy conservation programs. — Taktikom News & Features
