Lawmaker urges 4-day workweek, online classes amid expected oil price hikes

A lawmaker has proposed the implementation of a four-day workweek and online classes for students to cushion the impact of expected oil price surges amid airstrikes in the Middle East.

“We should act fast to ease the burden on our countrymen if oil prices continue to spike. We call on the government and the private sector to start planning the temporary transition to work-from-home setups for employees, and for schools to prepare for online classes,” Parañaque 2nd District Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan said in a statement.

“These are the steps that we can immediately take para makatulong sa ating mga kababayang unang tatamaan ng epekto nang patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng langis kung magtagal pa ang krisis sa Middle East,” Yamsuan added.

(These are the steps that we can immediately take to help our compatriots who will be the first to feel the effects of the continued rise in oil prices if the Middle East crisis continues.)

The Palace earlier said that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. may consider studying a proposal to adopt a four-day work week as part of efforts to conserve energy.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has also proposed a four-day workweek with one work-from-home day.

Earlier, the Department of Energy announced that fuel prices could jump by P10 per liter in the coming weeks if the Middle East conflict escalates.

There Middle East conflict started when the joint US-Israel Operation Epic Fury launched airstrikes targeting Iran’s seat of government, supposedly to deter Iran’s missile program which threatens the region’s security.

This operation has since killed Iranian leaders and hundreds of civilians, including dozens of children at a girls' school. The attacks have prompted Iran to retaliate and launch airstrikes targeting Gulf nations, including US bases located in those countries. — BM, GMA Integrated News