President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that the government is currently reviewing proposals to modify work hours for national agencies as a measure to alleviate traffic congestion.
“We’re looking into it. If it proves effective, we’ll implement it. But it’s not just about consulting with traffic enforcers and administrators who have made this suggestion,” said Marcos. “We also need to check with commuters to see if it’s practical for them. If everyone agrees to it, then I don’t see any reason why it would be an issue,” he added.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) mentioned last week that local mayors are finalizing their proposal to the president for flexible work hours.
According to MMDA data, flexible work hours resulted in a slight 1.23 percent improvement in travel time on major roads, while travel speed saw an increase of more than 3.6 percent. On local roads, traffic improvements were even more significant, with a 20 percent boost in travel speed.
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes stated, “We believe that if all national government agencies adopt a 7-to-4 schedule, the positive impact will be noticeable. As you can see from the data, there are nearly half a million employees working for national agencies in Metro Manila.”
Local governments in the region first adjusted working hours in May 2024 to help ease traffic.
San Juan Mayor and Metro Manila Council President Francis Zamora expressed support for the proposal to extend this initiative to other government departments. “If you start an hour earlier than the rush hour, you avoid the peak volume of traffic,” he noted.
