Palace not seriously considering 4-day workweek

Malacañang will not seriously consider the proposed four-day workweek unless it sees a new and compelling reason to look into it. At a press briefing Tuesday, Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, the proposal for a four-day workweek has been raised several times in the past but was rejected by different administrations. "At this point we are not seriously considering a four-day workweek but if there is something, some new compelling argument for it then we will certainly look into it. Pero sa ngayon, we are not really looking into it," Carandang said. Asked what will be compelling reason or impact on economy that could make the administration look into the proposal, Carandang did not give any. “We have to look at the reasons for and against it and weigh that and then decide whether or not we will support the idea. At this point, we haven’t done that," he said. While the four-day workweek might have some benefits, it might also disrupt services, he added. “Most people want to see the services provided to them either from government or private sector five times a week," said Carandang. No definite opinion Asked if the Palace shares the view of the Employers Conferederation of the Philippines (ECOP) that the proposal is counter-productive, he said they do not have a definite opinion on it. “We have not studied this new proposal in detail so we are not competent at this point to have a definite opinion on it," he explained. "All I am saying is that this has been proposed in the past and it has never actually happened so unless there is some new compelling reason for it then we are not really going to look into it at this point," he added. He further said that they have to take a look at the specifics of the proposal before they can make a more informed comment on whether it will be counter-productive. Open to proposal for four-day workweek On Monday, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz expressed openness to the idea of a four-day workweek noting that it had been implemented in the past. She said the Philippines already had a four-day workweek in the past during the global financial crisis. "Kung yan gagawing compulsory sa pamamagitan ng batas, meron na tayong experience diyan. Ang dahilan nakakatipid sa pamasahe tapos sa kuryente sa pagawaan at may flexibility sa pagpili ng araw," she said. However, she said if a four-day workweek will be implemented, the scheme should be approved by both the employers and the employees. -VVP, GMA News