CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government is reinstituting a compressed four-day workweek schedule starting Monday, September 28, following consecutive increases in fuel prices.
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro issued the directive through a memorandum on Wednesday, September 23, encouraging offices across the provincial government to adjust operating hours to reduce fuel and energy consumption.
“Pursuant to Executive Order No. 16, Series 2026, in order to reduce energy consumption, offices and departments of the Cebu provincial government are hereby encouraged to adopt a four-day work week arrangement,” the memorandum stated.
Under the adjusted schedule, provincial offices will operate from Monday to Thursday, opening from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and continuing from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Essential public service units are exempt from the four-day schedule. These include the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Cebu Provincial Health Office, Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, as well as the Cebu North and South Bus Terminals.
Additionally, key administrative divisions—including the Provincial Governor’s Office, Provincial General Services Office, and Provincial Treasurer’s Office—have been advised to maintain at least one staff member operating under standard Monday-to-Friday business hours to handle ongoing transactions.
The provincial Capitol previously implemented a similar four-day work arrangement in March response to rising fuel costs before reverting to regular five-day office hours once prices stabilized.