A veteran election lawyer and a senator are calling for a radical overhaul of Metro Manila’s work schedules, proposing staggered city-wide off-days and private sector shifts to alleviate a traffic crisis that costs the economy P3.5 billion daily.

The proposals follow President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive for selected executive branch offices to implement a temporary four-day workweek starting Monday, 9 March, to curb energy and fuel consumption amid volatile global oil prices.

Atty. Romulo Macalintal proposed a “staggered” four-day workweek where specific cities take turns observing a weekly non-working day. Under his plan, groups of three cities would go “offline” each weekday.

For example, Quezon City, Las Piñas and Manila would be off on Mondays, while Pasay, Taguig and Caloocan would follow on Tuesdays.

Macalintal estimated that removing three cities from the daily commute could take approximately 94,000 vehicles off EDSA every day. To maintain a 40-hour week, he suggested employees shift to 10-hour workdays, noting that essential services like health and social welfare would remain fully operational.

“A staggered approach offers far greater potential for energy conservation and traffic relief than a uniform, unspecified four-day workweek,” Macalintal said, citing the “holiday effect” where local celebrations in just one or two cities noticeably ease regional congestion.

Supporting the shift toward flexibility, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Sunday urged private companies to adopt staggered hours or a four-day onsite week. He stressed that private sector participation is critical in high-density districts like Makati and Bonifacio Global City.