MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will recommend to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. to place all national government agencies (NGAs) under the adjusted working hours implemented by local government units from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
MMDA Chairman Don Artes said the move could help address heavy traffic and congestion in Metro Manila.
“One of the considerations of our recommendation to the president is to cover the NGAs to help in decongestion because we saw substantial improvements in terms of travel time, not just vehicles, but employees in LGUs that implemented this,” Artes said in Filipino during the Metro Manila Council (MMC) meeting.
In April 2024, the MMC passed a resolution mandating the adjustment of working hours of local government units from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
MMC is one of the governing bodies and policymakers of the MMDA.
The resolution, aimed at improving traffic and commuting conditions, said the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. working hours of government offices “align with the standard working hours of private companies, thereby contributing to traffic congestion in Metro Manila.”
“It will surely help in terms of public transport. Imagine, there are 500,000 employees. They can avoid joining other commuters. The recommendation has to be finalized before the start of Edsa rehabilitation,” Artes said.
A report by the MMDA during the council meeting showed that an estimated 223,508 government employee commuters who use public transportation would avoid joining rush hour with private sector employees.
It also showed that 37.15 percent of the over 473,500 national government employees in Metro Manila use private vehicles during rush hour.