DepEd to allow Muslim employees to adjust hours during Ramadan

The Department of Education (DepEd) is allowing its Muslim employees to adjust their work hours in deference to their observance of the fasting month of Ramadan, which will begin on May 27.

In a memorandum, the agency said Filipino Muslims in the central and field offices nationwide may start their office work between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. until such time when they complete the mandatory eight-hour working day without breaks in the morning, noon or afternoon.

These breaks are equivalent to two hours daily, noted the memo signed by Education Undersecretary Alberto Muyot in his capacity as officer in charge.

He said the adjustment was to ensure continuous, prompt and efficient delivery of public services in basic education.

“The DepEd respects the rights of all Filipino Muslims to observe Ramadan by fasting from May 27 to June 25,” Muyot said.

He pointed out that, in the previous years, all Filipino Muslims working in national and local government offices outside the autonomous regions and who were fasting during Ramadan rendered services from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. as their official time.

The official time was later modified from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. without noon break. The two-hour difference was not counted as undertime by the Civil Service Commission. /atm