The Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Department of Education (DepEd) announced that they are shifting to a four-day onsite workweek for non-frontline employees, citing a national directive to conserve energy amid rising fuel costs.

Under the new LTO schedule, employees who do not directly interact with the public will work in the office from Monday to Thursday and transition to a work-from-home setup on Fridays.

The agency clarified that frontline services, including driver’s license and vehicle registrations, will maintain their standard five-day schedules.

Officials will remain present at the main office throughout the workweek to ensure these operations continue without interruption.

The shift follows a 6 March directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. under Memorandum Circular No. 114. The order requires national agencies to implement energy-saving measures, such as compressed workweeks or designated work-from-home days, to reduce building energy loads and transport fuel consumption.

Meantime, the DepEd has adopted a similar arrangement. From 10 April to 5 June, DepEd office employees will report onsite Monday through Thursday, with Fridays designated for remote work.

“School heads shall ensure that the implementation of WFH arrangement does not disrupt essential school operations and that appropriate staffing arrangements are in place, as necessary,” the department said in a memorandum.

The policy change comes after Marcos declared a state of national energy emergency as global fuel prices continue to surge, driven by ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Both agencies stated the measures are aligned with executive efforts to mitigate the impact of the global energy crisis on government operations.