A shift in work arrangements has taken effect in Mandaue City as officials move to cushion workers from rising costs while adjusting government operations to a four-day on-site schedule.
The city government has assured that job order (JO) workers will not experience pay cuts following the rollout of a four-day workweek starting this week.
City officials said measures were put in place to prevent income loss, including a work-from-home arrangement on Fridays that allows employees to remain on paid status.
Mandaue City Executive Secretary Atty. Riczen Gingoyon said the setup maintains a five-day output despite reduced on-site reporting days.
“Five days lang gihapon, for as long as every Monday mu provide lang sila og accomplishment report kung nag unsa sila pag Friday,” Gingoyon said.
The arrangement addresses concerns from JO workers, particularly those under a “no work, no pay” scheme, who initially feared reduced earnings under the shortened workweek.
Gingoyon said Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano directed the city administration to ensure continuity of pay despite the schedule shift.
“Still five days gihapon sila, gipangitaan og paagi ni Mayor Jonkie and sa City Administration’s Office na ang arrangement is on Fridays paid gihapon sila pero work from home,” he added.
Under the system, JO employees are required to submit accomplishment reports covering tasks such as budgeting, research, and encoding that can be completed remotely.
“Dili mu diminished ang ilang sweldo sa mga JOs,” Gingoyon said.
Mayor Ouano signed the executive order last week implementing the four-day workweek in response to rising fuel costs linked to tensions in the Middle East. The order took effect on Thursday, April 16, 2026, with Fridays designated for work-from-home arrangements, subject to approval depending on office functions.
Department heads and supervisors have already submitted implementation plans to determine which offices can adopt the setup.
Essential frontline services—including police, fire, disaster response, the city hospital, and traffic enforcement—will remain fully operational.
“In times of emergency naa ra na sila, standby gihapon na nga offices,” Gingoyon said.
Revenue-generating offices such as the public market and slaughterhouse will also continue operations, with collection teams reporting even on Fridays.
Gingoyon clarified that the work-from-home arrangement applies mainly to administrative functions, as enforcement duties require on-site presence.
Despite the shift, the city government said public services will remain accessible.
“Still naa gihapon ang mga vital offices, if naay mu process naa gihapon makaatiman sa ilaha,“ he said.
He added that adjustments remain possible as the policy is still in its early stage of implementation.
“Sige lang, there will be fee adjustments. This is still first pa man ni nato sa Mandaue City,” Gingoyon said. (VCL)
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