DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 14 April) – The local government of Mati City in the province of Davao Oriental is implementing a four-day week to reduce energy consumption of its offices.
The announcement, which cuts the work week to only be from Mondays to Thursdays from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, was made on Monday, 13 April, following Mayor Joel Z. Almario’s issuance of Memorandum Order No. 035.
The order encourages government units to have a “compressed workweek or a designated common day for work-from-home arrangements.”
All regular staff, Job Orders (JO), and Contract of Service (CoS) personnel are mandated to complete a 40-hour week schedule.
Offices that will provide “essential services” including security, health, emergency response, trade, terminal, and slaughterhouse remain to have regular Monday to Friday operations from 8 AM to 5 PM.
According to the order that was also posted on the city’s official Facebook page, the measure is being undertaken to efficiently use its resources.
This, following the crisis brought by the “significant volatility in global energy markets” as cited by the DILG on its circular.
As of March 18, the Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative (DORECO), the province’s sole electricity provider, has announced an increase of all its power rates.
The power rate for residential consumers for March has reached PhP 12.3788 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from PhP 11.8839 in February.
‘Low voltage’ establishments as of March bill will pay PhP 11.4205 from the February rate of PhP 10.9174 per kWh.
‘High voltage’ establishments, meanwhile, will have a power rate of PhP 9.587 for March from PhP 9.2889 in February.
‘Low Voltage’ and ‘High Voltage’ are classifications based on how customers connect to the grid and how much electricity they consume. Low Voltage customers are typically residential homes, small businesses, and small-scale commercial buildings. High Voltage customers are large industrial plants, massive manufacturing facilities, or giant shopping malls.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), meanwhile, has clarified on March 20, that power rates may rise for the month of April, following the start of the summer season and the continued tension in the Middle East affecting the price of coal, natural gas, and petrol. (Razl EJ Teman/MindaNews)
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