The Northern Samar provincial government has adopted a four-day work week and work-from-home Fridays to reduce electricity consumption amid rising power costs in Eastern Visayas.

Governor Harris Ongchuan signed an executive order directing the reimplementation of a flexible work arrangement for regular, contract of service, and job order employees beginning this week.

Under the new scheme, employees whose work can be performed remotely will report to the office from Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Fridays will be designated as work-from-home days.

The order also suspends the flexible working hours policy and mandates the strict implementation of the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. air-conditioning schedule and other energy conservation measures.

Department heads have been instructed to monitor employee productivity and ensure uninterrupted delivery of government services.

Northern Samar became the second province in Eastern Visayas to adopt the arrangement after neighboring Biliran implemented a similar work schedule earlier this month.

The new policy excludes personnel of the provincial jail, district hospitals, and the Civil Security Office, while several key provincial offices will operate with skeletal workforces.

The move comes after the Northern Samar Electric Cooperative raised its July electricity rate to P16.49 per kilowatt-hour, up from P15.72 in June, as electric cooperatives in Eastern Visayas continue to grapple with higher wholesale electricity costs.