3 weeks ago
17
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
March 9, 2026 | 10:34am
Parents accompany students as classes open for the new school year at an elementary school in Manila on June 16, 2025.
AFP / Jam Sta Rosa
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education has allowed its non-teaching personnel to work onsite for only four days a week starting Monday, March 9.
In a memorandum issued Sunday, March 8, Education Secretary Sonny Angara designates Friday as a common work-from-home day for all covered personnel.
In doing so, DepEd joins other government agencies in implementing four-day onsite work arrangements after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive for government offices to conserve energy amid the conflict in the Middle East.
The policy applies to non-teaching and related-teaching personnel, including contract-of-service and job order employees, under the department’s existing flexible work arrangements.
Teachers will continue following their regular class schedules to ensure the uninterrupted conduct of classes and end-of-school-year activities, according to the DepEd memorandum.
The directive takes effect immediately and will remain in force until lifted or revoked by the Office of the President.
Energy-saving measures in offices
Alongside the four-day onsite arrangement, DepEd ordered all offices to adopt energy conservation protocols aimed at cutting electricity and fuel consumption by 10% to 20%.
These include setting air conditioners to 24 degrees Celsius, activating sleep settings on office equipment, and turning off non-essential lights and electronics during lunch breaks and after office hours.
Personnel are also encouraged to use stairs instead of elevators when moving between nearby floors, where practicable.
Meetings online, travel limited
DepEd also directed offices to hold inter-agency meetings, consultations, and conferences virtually, allowing physical meetings only when “necessary or operationally indispensable.”
Official travel will be restricted to essential or critical functions that cannot be carried out through virtual meetings or electronic communications.
The measure follows memorandum circular No. 114, issued by Malacañang on March 6, which ordered government offices to adopt strict energy conservation protocols as global fuel prices surge.
The directive, signed by Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, cited volatility in global energy markets caused by the fighting in the Middle East.
