Senate President Vicente Sotto III expressed support on Wednesday for allowing some Senate employees to work from home as part of energy-saving initiatives amid rising global tensions in the Middle East.
The proposal came from Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza, who suggested that employees not required to be physically present at the Senate could be permitted to work remotely.
“Sinuggest niya na lahat ng pwedeng mag-work from home na mga empleyado ng Senado, payagan namin. Lalo na ‘yung mga hindi kailangan do’n,” Sotto shared during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.
Sotto said the arrangement could help reduce electricity and fuel consumption, contributing to broader government energy-saving efforts.
“Okay ‘yung suggestion na ‘yun kasi ‘yung akin, anything to help. Anything that we can do to help. Kahit na barya-barya pa ‘yung maitutulong natin, malaking bagay ‘yun. So, work from home? Pwede ‘yun. Magbawas tayo ng paggamit ng kuryente, paggamit ng gasolina,” he said.
He noted that shifting roughly 30 percent of Senate staff to remote work could lead to meaningful reductions in energy usage.
The proposal aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive for executive offices to adopt a four-day workweek starting March 9.
Malacañang also issued Memorandum Circular No. 114, mandating stricter energy conservation measures to reduce the government’s energy footprint and optimize resources.