CEBU City’s four-day workweek rollout produced mixed results in water and electricity use, with significant fuel savings but uneven water performance across government buildings.
According to a Department of General Services (DGS) report submitted by Energy Conservation Officer Marie Trece Flores and noted by Acting Department Head June Maratas, an analysis covering February to April 2026 showed a steady decline in water consumption from Feb. 28 to early April. Costs fell from P48,419 to P34,987, or a 27.7 percent reduction.
The strongest savings were recorded from March 28 to April 3, when water use reached its lowest point, generating P7,842 in savings.
Water costs rebound
However, the trend reversed during the week of April 11 to 17, when water costs rose to P40,834, marking a 14.98 percent increase.
The DGS flagged the increase as a major concern, saying water savings were not sustained and were likely affected by operational lapses after early April.
The executive building showed relatively stable usage, but the legislative building posted a sudden spike in costs during the April 11 to 17 period, resulting in a P3,474 loss. The building that houses the finance office and the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) building also continued to show inefficiencies, with a net loss of P3,576.63.
The report said water inefficiencies may be linked to pantry use, restroom consumption patterns and cleaning schedules, pointing to behavioral rather than infrastructure issues.
Power use declines
Electricity consumption remained lower across major government buildings during April.
The executive building posted reductions of 21 percent to 23 percent, while the legislative building recorded a wider range of six percent to 28 percent. The finance/ABC building posted the largest drop at 28 percent to 38 percent.
Despite lower kilowatt-hour consumption, the report said financial savings were inconsistent because of demand charges, irregular operating schedules and other fixed costs.
The DGS said lower energy use did not always translate into reduced electricity bills.
The report also cited continued noncompliance in some offices, including inconsistent air-conditioning use, poor lighting discipline and unauthorized appliances such as cooking equipment.
Fuel savings strongest
Fuel use posted the most significant gains under the compressed workweek arrangement.
Diesel consumption dropped by more than 50 percent in April, with weekly reductions of 51.71 percent and 52.13 percent, driven by fewer trips, stricter routing and improved fleet monitoring.
Gasoline consumption also shifted to savings, reversing earlier increases of three percent to 15 percent in March to a seven percent to eight percent decrease in April.
The report attributed the improvement to tighter fuel management controls, including GPS tracking, trip ticket validation and stricter vehicle deployment.
Peak efficiency was recorded from March 28 to April 3, a period that coincided with Holy Week and reduced office activity.
The report said the period, along with early fuel savings, marked the best performance of the program.
Controls recommended
However, the DGS warned that efficiency gains appeared to be “event-driven rather than policy-driven,” as consumption patterns worsened once normal operations resumed in mid-April.
To sustain gains, the DGS recommended stronger institutional controls, including mandatory air-conditioning shutdowns from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., lights-off policies during midday breaks and bans on unauthorized electrical appliances in offices.
It also called for targeted audits of high-risk offices, particularly the finance/ABC building and Legislative offices, which showed recurring inefficiencies.
Engineering interventions were also proposed, including improved ventilation systems, plumbing leak detection and sub-metering per floor to better track consumption.
For fuel management, the report recommended keeping current controls such as GPS tracking, trip validation systems, fuel card monitoring and designated vehicle parking zones.
Under the executive order issued by Mayor Nestor Archival, the four-day workweek was originally set to run from April 6 to April 17 as a pilot test.
However, a subsequent memorandum from the Human Resource Development Office extended the implementation until April 30.
The Human Resource Development Office also reiterated compliance measures, including the 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday-to-Thursday schedule, mandatory timekeeping and a strict ban on overtime pay or compensatory time.
It also directed offices to implement energy-saving measures such as limiting air-conditioning use from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Archival said the findings will guide future actions as Cebu City pushes for more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable government operations. / CAV