by Eva Visperas
THE provincial government of Pangasinan has decided not to adopt the proposed four-day workweek scheme for local government units (LGUs) and government agencies, citing concerns over its potential impact on public service delivery.
In an interview, Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino said the measure was carefully studied but ultimately deemed unfeasible at the provincial level.
“Pinag-aralan po ng provincial government of Pangasinan. However, when we examined its feasibility, we found that it may affect the proper delivery of services,” Lambino said.
He stressed that the provincial government operates 14 hospitals and employs around 7,000 personnel providing both frontline and back-office services—making continuous operations critical.
“Even if it would entail some reduction in expenses, it may compromise the delivery of services,” he said, noting that any cost-saving measure should not come at the expense of public welfare.
Lambino added that the provincial government is willing to absorb higher operational costs to ensure uninterrupted and efficient services for Pangasinenses.
“So we opted that we still carry the burden of higher cost of operations for as long as we do not compromise the delivery of proper services,” he said.
He also said that the nature of operations across multiple departments—including hospitals and environmental offices—requires a steady workforce presence, making a compressed workweek impractical.
“Mas marami pong ahensya, masyado pong manipis ang workforce kapag binawasan ang araw ng pasok. Kapag tinignan namin ang numbers, maraming mababawas na serbisyo,” he said.
Lambing said that while the four-day workweek may be viable in other settings, it is not suitable for Pangasinan’s current structure, where the majority of offices provide essential frontline services.
“Bottom line, hindi po natin kayang i-implement ito without affecting services,” Lambino said.