We are confident that most of our lawmakers would no longer need convincing on the paramount interest of the VAT bill on the national interest.

The government expects a P144-million savings from the various line agencies in the implementation of the four -day workweek in the months of April and May this year.

This was the forecast made by acting Budget Secretary Mario Relampagos and Energy Secretary Rafael Lotilla during a press briefing at Malacaņang this afternoon.

"Our budget for POL or petroleum, oil, lubricants for this year is P3.85 billion and for water, utilities and electricity is P4.5 billion. This is the budget for the year. So we will save on this because of the four-day work week and we are imposing at least 10 percent of this. So for two months, this will be around P144 million," the acting DBM chief said.

Relampagos added that 30 percent of the total 1.1 million public servants are not covered by the experimental four-day workweek scheme for two months.

Based on the scheme, affected government employes are directed to render 10 hours of service per day from Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. up to 5: 30 p.m.

The government workers directed to report on regular working time are the military, police, firemen, coast guard, those involved in provision of hospital and health services, emergency, calamity, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and some sections in the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye disclosed that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is expected to sign today the Administrative Order (AO) that will implement the new work schedule of selected government servants.

The threat as far as Holy Week is concerned has passed, but we must not let up on strict law enforcement and public vigilance.

Malacanang today assured the four-day work-week this summer will not adversely affect or compromise government workers’ productivity.

The government has earlier announced it will implement a four-day work- week scheme during the summer months of April and May as a cost-saving strategy.

Under the scheme, government workers will report for work for only four days during the week but will have to render extended 10-hour service per work day schedule to satisfy the 40-hour labor law.

Malacanang said Cabinet Secretaries and their department managers will strictly monitor the implementation of the scheme to ensure its efficiency and effectiveness as a cost-saving strategy.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla made the assurance when asked by reporters during a press briefing this afternoon about the possibility of reduced productivity of government under the scheme.

"I just want to assure you that the Department of Budget and Management and the other government agencies will continue to monitor the effectiveness, including (the) productivity (of state workers)," Lotilla said.

Acting Budget Secretary Mario Relampagos, for his part, told reporters the Secretaries of the departments affected by the four-days 10-hour workdays scheme will help orient the workers on how to handle their jobs effectively and efficiently.

"The break time will still be there, we still have a lunch break, we still have morning and afternoon breaks, so they can refresh themselves," Relampagos said.

Relampagos and Lotilla said the government coud save as much as P144 million in two months that the four-day work-week will be implemented.

On the issue of salary, Relampagos said the government has no budget for salary increases this year but there is a program of rationalization of the bureaucracy through the implementation of the Executive Order 366.