* The Cebu Provincial Government will reinstate a compressed four-day, 40-hour workweek starting Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, to reduce energy consumption under Governor Pamela Baricuatro's Sept. 23 memorandum.
* Under Executive Order 16, employees will work 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Thursday, while essential offices like health, social welfare, disaster management, and detention will maintain standard schedules.
* The decision reverses EO 27 from April 30, which had temporarily restored the five-day workweek following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s energy-saving directives linked to Middle East conflict.
THE Cebu Provincial Government will bring back its four-day workweek starting Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, with employees in covered offices working a compressed 40-hour schedule from Monday to Thursday.
Governor Pamela Baricuatro issued a memorandum dated Sept. 23 directing provincial government offices and employees to adopt the arrangement as part of measures to reduce energy consumption.
Under the schedule, employees will work from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Thursday.
The memorandum said the arrangement is being implemented pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 16, Series of 2026, which introduced energy conservation measures in the provincial government.
Several provincial government offices will continue operating under their usual schedules because of the nature of their services.
These are the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Cebu Provincial Health Office, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, and Cebu Normal School of Business and Technology.
The offices of the Provincial Governor’s Office, Provincial General Services Office, and Provincial Treasurer’s Office are also encouraged to assign personnel who will maintain regular office hours from Monday to Friday.
The four-day workweek will remain in effect until further notice, according to the memorandum.
Energy-saving measures
The Province had earlier suspended the compressed workweek under EO 27, Series of 2026, signed by Baricuatro on April 30.
These rules follow an announcement from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The National Government will use a four-day workweek for the executive department, which aims to save energy because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The order superseded EO 16 and directed provincial departments, offices and units to return to the regular five-day workweek starting May 4.
EO 27 said the four-day arrangement had been adopted as a temporary measure to address energy consumption, operational efficiency and sustainability concerns.
It also directed provincial offices to continue implementing energy-saving measures despite the return to the regular work schedule.
The latest memorandum effectively brings back the four-day arrangement under EO 16 amid the Province’s renewed effort to reduce energy consumption. / CDF