To effectively reduce fuel consumption and ease traffic congestion in the National Capital Region (NCR), a lawyer has proposed a different version of a four-day work week.

Romulo B. Macalintal, also a senior citizens advocate, proposed that holiday should be declared one day weekly for three NCR cities, and government employees should work from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily for four days per week.

Macalintal said that the city groupings would be determined by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) based on population density and traffic conditions.

He cited the “holiday effect” every June 24th when the cities of Manila and San Juan celebrate their local holidays which ease traffic congestions in the two cities.

He said that the one-day holiday weekly in three cities “would drastically reduce the volume of private vehicles, resulting in substantial fuel savings.”

“It would also allow public transport drivers to double or triple their daily trips, increasing their take-home pay, and employees would save on transportation, food, and clothing expenses,” he also said.

The 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. work in government offices with one-hour break time for four days will meet the 40-hour weekly requirement, Macalintal said.

“Many employees already arrive early or stay late to avoid peak traffic and this schedule simply formalizes that sacrifice for the greater public welfare,” he also said.

Citing an example, Macalintal said that one-day holiday can be declared as follows: Monday: in Quezon City, Las Piñas, and Manila; Tuesday: in Pasay, Taguig, and Caloocan; Wednesday: in Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, and Parañaque; Thursday: in San Juan, Pasig, and Makati; and Friday: in Valenzuela, Navotas, and Malabon.

He said that the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) currently handles over 470,000 vehicles daily.

“By taking three cities ‘offline’ one day in a week, we could remove approximately 94,000 vehicles from the road daily. Also, with a total labor force of roughly five million in Metro Manila, this plan would reduce daily trips by approximately one million people from the three cities on ‘holiday,’” he added.

He also said that educational institutions could give their support by adjusting class schedules while “frontline” government agencies such as health, social welfare, and labor would remain exempt to ensure continuous essential services.

Macalintal proposed that the government should experiment on his proposal for one month in the NCR.

“If successful, it can be adopted in other metropolitan hubs like Cebu and Davao. A staggered approach offers far greater potential for energy conservation and traffic relief than a uniform, unspecified four-day work week,” he said.

Earlier, President Marcos had announced that starting Monday, March 9, government agencies under the Executive department will temporarily implement a four-day work week due to the expected oil supply disruption caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

However, not covered by the four-day work week are Executive agencies that provide emergency or essential services such as the police, firefighters, and offices that provide frontline services to the public.

The Supreme Court (SC) is also finalizing the guidelines to implement the four-day work week in the judiciary.