{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1596264,
        "msgid": "philippines-slashes-working-hours-to-four-days-amid-middle-east-situation-1772942110",
        "date": "2026-03-08 09:53:07",
        "title": "Philippines Slashes Working Hours to Four Days Amid Middle East Situation",
        "author": "",
        "source": "DETIK_BALI",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Regulation",
        "summary": "The Philippine government will temporarily reduce office hours to four days a week to save energy as tensions in the Middle East push up global fuel prices. The policy omits emergency services and is paired with a mandate to cut electricity and fuel costs, drawing reactions from economists and the business chamber about potential impacts on inflation and manufacturing.",
        "content": "<p>The Philippine government is set to cut office hours to four days in\nthe country. The move is aimed at saving energy following the escalation\nof the conflict in the Middle East, which is driving up global fuel\nprices. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.\u00a0said the shortened working hours\nare temporary. He noted that the policy does not apply to emergency\nservices including police, the fire department, and other frontline\nagencies that provide public services.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll government travel and activities that are not essential are also\nsuspended temporarily, such as study tours, team-building activities, or\nmeetings that can be conducted online,\u201d Marcos was quoted as saying by\ndetikFinance, on Saturday (7 March 2026).<\/p>\n<p>Marcos also ordered all government agencies to cut electricity and\nfuel costs by 10-20 percent. It should be noted that the Philippines\nimports almost all of its oil needs. With the war intensifying in Iran,\nthe Philippines has been affected, triggering inflation that reached its\nhighest level in 13 months in February.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrothers and sisters, we do not know when the chaos in the Middle\nEast will end. We are victims of a war we did not choose and do not\nwant. We cannot control the war, but we can control how we protect the\nFilipino people,\u201d Marcos said.<\/p>\n<p>Economists have noted the Philippines as one of the most vulnerable\ncountries in the Asia-Pacific region to inflation and growth risks\ndriven by the Middle East conflict. \u201cThe country is more prone to\ninflationary pressures because retail fuel prices are market-driven and\nsubsidies are limited,\u201d said Deepali Bhargava, Regional Head of Research\nat ING Bank N.V.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry has warned\nthat a four-day working week could affect the manufacturing sector, a\npillar of the economy. \u201cWe have been operating with limited resources\nand further reductions in working days could affect our commitments,\u201d\nsaid Perry Ferrer, President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and\nIndustry.<\/p>\n<p>This article has appeared on detikFinance. Read more here!<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/philippines-slashes-working-hours-to-four-days-amid-middle-east-situation-1772942110",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}