President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared a period of national mourning starting tomorrow, and until the Pope is laid to rest.

All national government offices nationwide are instructed to fly the flag at half mast.

The presidential proclamation will follow.

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The four-day workweek for government employes in the Executive Branch will start on Monday, April 4, with a Thanksgiving Mass for President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo who will celebrate her 58^th birthday on April 5.

The Thanksgiving Mass will be held at 7:30 a.m. at the Mabini Hall of Malacaņang. A free haircut treat for all employes and their dependents will follow from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. "Libreng Gupit" targets around 5,000 clients.

The four-day workweek will be implemented this month until May 31, to mitigate the adverse effects of the continuing increases in the prices of crude oil in the world market on the government’s fiscal position and the country’s dollar reserves.

Malacaņang assured that the implementation of Administrative Order 117, or the Four-Day Workweek, will not in any way affect the productivity of government workers, who are required to work 10 hours a day, or 40 hours a week, in compliance with civil service regulations and labor laws.

There will also be no interruption in the delivery of basic services as government teams shall remain on duty.

Under the four-day workweek scheme, government workers are required to report for work, Monday to Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., including the one-hour lunch break from 12 noon to 1 p.m.

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Waldo Flores said employes who come in after 7:30 a.m. will be considered tardy. There is no provision for them to offset this tardiness after the 6:30 p.m. cut-off, he added.

The four-day workweek scheme will also allow government employes to save one day of their weekly transportation allowance.

The following offices are not covered by the four-day workweek schedule:

Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, government hospitals and health centers and public schools and universities with previously set summer classes, and other government offices and agencies rendering vital frontline services.

The offices under the Office of the President (OP) that are not covered by the four-day workweek include the Office of the Executive Secretary (both in Mabini Hall and the Premier Guest House), the Presidential Security Group (PSG), Authentication, Antique House, the Dialysis Service Center at the Malacaņang Clinic, the Protocol Office, OP Records, Internal House Affairs Office, Appointments and Motorpool.

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We mourn with the world the passing of Pope John Paul II. His death brings to all a deep sense of grief and loss. He was a holy champion of the Filipino family and of the profound Christian values that make everyone of us contemplate, everyday, what is just, moral and sacred in life.

The world will miss a great spiritual bridge among all nations that he touched and blessed with his gentle hand. The weak and oppressed will always remember their hero and advocate who sowed peace and love by his awesome charisma and noble deeds.

We join the whole of humanity in prayer on this day of universal bereavement.

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Malacaņang issued today a strong reminder to all government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, to follow strictly cost-cutting measures under Administrative Order 103.

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said in a radio interview this morning that all state offices and instrumentalities are directed to adopt austerity measures, ensure the efficient and economical use of government resources, and avoid all forms of wastages.

He said the government is regulating the use of vehicles and electrical equipment, including air conditioning units, to reduce fuel and energy costs.

Issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Aug. 31, 2004, AO 103 underscores the need for "continued adoption and implementation of austerity measures" in order to maintain the government’s "macroeconomic stability and improve investor confidence."

The administrative order pointed out that "prudent fiscal management remains critical in the execution of a sound budget policy to ensure a balanced budget by 2009."

Government-owned corporations (GOCCs), government financial institutions (GFIs) and other state agencies were likewise urged to "contribute to reducing the consolidated public sector deficit, and to decreasing the public sector debt."

Under the administrative order all foreign travels are suspended except for attendance in ministerial meetings, scholarship/trainings that are grant-funded or undertaken at no cost to the government.

Also suspended is the purchase of any type of motor vehicles, except ambulances and those required by the military and police, and the expansion of "organizational units and/or creation of positions, except those following ‘scrap and build’ policy or matched by the deactivation of existing units/positions of the same cost."

Bunye said that AO 103 has already generated significant "savings in terms of electrical, water, and other fuel costs."

He added that based on Department of Budget and Management (DBM) estimates, the government would save up to P144 million in energy expenses under the four-day workweek program for employes of the Executive Branch.

The two-month, four-day workweek program, will start tomorrow (Monday) and end on May 31.

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