NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua urged the government on Tuesday, March 15, to impose a four-day workweek to conserve energy and alleviate the public’s costs on related expenses amid the increasing prices of fuel products.
Chua also told President Rodrigo Duterte during Tuesday night’s (March 15) Talk to the People Address that Neda supports the Department of Finance’s (DOF) recommendations to retain the excise tax on fuel products and provide instead “targeted relief” to vulnerable sectors from the higher value added tax (VAT) collections due to the higher fuel prices.
Duterte approved Wednesday, March 16, DOF’s recommendations.
Chua, in his report Tuesday, said the general population should exercise conservation to help them save energy and money amid the high prices, particularly of fuel products in the country.
“Siguro subukan natin ‘yung conservation of energy at isa sa halimbawa dito ay ‘yung four-day workweek. Magta-trabaho pa rin po ang bawat Pilipino ng 40 hours per week pero imbes na sa limang araw, ay apat na araw. Imbes na walong oras, magiging sampung oras kada araw,” he said.
(Let’s try energy conservation and one of the examples is imposing the four-day workweek. Every Filipino will still work 40 hours per week but instead of five days, it will be four days. Instead of eight hours, it will be 10 hours per day.)
Chua said this strategy was also implemented in the 1990s during Gulf War and in 2008, when there was also an increase in fuel prices.
“Ang epekto nito ay makakatipid din, imbes na araw-araw magko-commute, ay magiging apat na araw. Ito ay makakatulong din sa pag-manage ng ekonomiya natin,” he added.
(This will help people save money because of instead of commuting every day, they will only commute for four days. It will also help manage our economy.)
Chua’s recommendation was backed by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who also stressed the importance of extending the work-from-home arrangements to reduce the public’s need to travel.
“We also support the panukala na four-day workweek at tsaka ‘yung pankulala na palawigin muna natin ang work-from-home para sa ganon po mabawasan ang pagbiyahe ng ating mga mamamayan,” he said.
(We also support the four-day workweek proposal, as well as the extension of the work-from-home arrangement to reduce the travel of our people.)
Several companies in the country had been implementing the work-from-home arrangement since the start of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic in 2020.
Last February, however, the Department of Trade Industry (DTI) encouraged companies to require onsite work in a bid to boost businesses amid the shift to Alert Level 1.
The DTI said last February 28 that the work-from-home setup is already considered optional, especially in areas under Alert Level 1, the lowest quarantine level imposed by the government so far.
As of March 16, 49 areas in the country are under Alert Level 1. This status will remain implemented until end of March 2022.