MMDA eyes 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. work hours for gov't agencies in NCR

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Thursday said the working hours of national government agencies in the National Capital Region (NCR) should be adjusted to ease the traffic.

“Sa aming palagay, kung lahat po ng national government agencies ay mag-implement ng [7 a.m. to 4 p.m. working hours], doon po mararamdaman po talaga yung magandang epekto nito,” MMDA chairperson Romando Artes said in a press conference.

MMDA to recommend to President 7am-4pm adjusted working hours for national government agencies to ease traffic @gmanews @24orasgma pic.twitter.com/cfpp3C7hYm

— Joseph Morong ???????? (@Joseph_Morong) January 16, 2025

(In our opinion, if all national government agencies implement 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. working hours, that's when we will experience its good effects.)

“More likely, we'll submit the report and the recommendation to the Office of the President,” he added.

Nearly 2 million employees are expected to avoid the surge of commuters during the usual peak of heavy traffic around 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. if the recommendation is implemented, according to Artes.

Metro Manila Council (MMC) president and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora supported the recommendation of the MMDA on the modified working hours.

“Ako po pabor sa [7 a.m. to 4 p.m. working hours] (I'm in favor of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. working hours),” Zamora said.

“The rationale here is meron na tayong traditional rush hour. Kung one hour ahead ka parati sa rush hour, you do not hit the peak of the volume of cars. So iwas ka ng isang oras both sa pagpasok at pag-uwi,” he added.

(The rationale here is that we now have a traditional rush hour. If you are always one hour ahead of rush hour, you do not hit the peak of the volume of cars. So you can stay away from rush hour for an hour when going to work and home.)

For her part, Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano also favors the planned adjustment but she said some employees still have to be on duty during traditional working hours.

“Sanay na ang mga empleyado ng 7 a.m. to 4 a.m. Ganun din, mas hindi nila hindi nahi-hit yung rush hours o peak hours, mas madali silang maka-uwi,” she said.

(Our employees are already used to 7 a.m. to 4 a.m. working hours. The more they don't hit the rush or peak hours, the easier it is for them to get home.)

“Sa amin, may kaunti kaming natitira na empleyado na [5 p.m.] kasi meron akong pinapapasok ng [8 a.m.] para yung ba pang nangangailangan sa aming serbisyo ay mapaglingkuran pa rin namin na hindi talaga lahat tapos ng 4 p.m.,” she added.

(In our case, we have a few employees that go home at 5 p.m. because they go to work at 8 a.m., so that we can still serve those who need our services and that the offices are not completely closed at 4 p.m.)

According to Artes, the MMDA still needs to ask the consensus of the 17 mayors of Metro Manila before forwarding the recommendation to the Office of the President. —RF, GMA Integrated News