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Louella Desiderio - The Philippine Star
March 6, 2026 | 12:00am
Department of Trade and Industry on Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City
Wikimedia Commons, Patrickroque01, CC BY-SA 4.0
MANILA, Philippines — Responding to President Marcos’ call to reduce fuel consumption, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will implement a flexible work scheme beginning March 9.
Business groups said they are open to enforcing a similar arrangement, but noted that it may not be applicable to certain sectors.
Under Memorandum Order 26-886, the DTI’s central office will apply a special flexible working scheme to conserve energy amid the impact of the Middle East conflict on global fuel prices.
Job order and contract of service workers in the DTI, excluding those involved in frontline functions, will be working from home every Friday.
“All DTI transactions every Friday are requested to be conducted online,” the order read.
Elevator operations and lighting and air-conditioning systems at the DTI-Filinvest Building and DTI Main Building in Makati will operate at a reduced capacity on Fridays.
Shuttle operations will follow a rotating shift, with only selected routes operating daily.
Employers Confederation of the Philippines president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said that while the private sector is open to implementing flexible work arrangements and a four-day workweek, he stressed that it cannot be applied to all industries.
Management Association of the Philippines president Donald Lim shared the view, noting the four-day workweek cannot be applied uniformly across the economy.
Federation of Philippine Industries chair Elizabeth Lee said adjustments in work structures would need to be carefully designed to avoid unintended disruptions in output, delivery schedules and supply chain flows.
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ferdinand Ferrer said implementation of the four-day workweek must be supported with balanced, evidenced-based and sector-sensitive approach.
