The provincial government of Pangasinan has opted not to implement four-day work week schedule since majority of its departments are frontline services.

"For the implementation of the four-day work week, it was studied, however, upon looking at its feasibility on a provincial level, it may affect the proper delivery of services considering that the provincial government has 14 hospitals, and 7,000 employees delivering both frontline and back office services," said Vice Gov. Mark Ronald Lambino in an interview Monday.

He said even if the four-day work week scheme would entail cut in expenses, it may compromise the delivery of services.

"So we opted that we shoulder or still carry the burden of higher cost of operations for as long as the delivery of proper services in the province is assured," he said.

Meanwhile, majority of the local government units in the province are implementing a four-day work week, including the municipal government of Malasiqui.

Mayor Alfe Soriano, in a recent interview, said municipal government offices are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. but only from Monday to Thursday.

Soriano said all government offices are ordered to reduce their electricity and fuel consumption by 10 percent to 20 percent.

"We also prohibit unnecessary government travel and external activities except for those already booked and schedule prior to the executive order. Meetings are encouraged to be held within office premises or virtually," he said.

The four-day work week is in accordance with the order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. amid the conflict in the Middle East that triggered a surge in the prices of petroleum products. (PNA)