Muntinlupa City has introduced new measures to manage rising fuel costs, including the formation of a task force that will monitor possible overpricing and hoarding of fuel products. The initiative comes as the local government moves to implement energy conservation policies across city offices amid increasing oil prices.
The move follows a memorandum circular issued by the Office of the President directing government agencies to adopt energy-saving strategies as fuel prices climb due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In response, Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon confirmed on March 10 that he approved a resolution from the Local Finance Committee authorizing the rollout of conservation measures within the city government.
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Fuel Monitoring and Cost-Saving Measures
The city government will begin tightening oversight of fuel use in official operations while establishing a dedicated task force to oversee price monitoring and prevent hoarding.
“Amid rising oil prices and in line with the president’s directive, we will implement cost-saving measures in the city government,” Biazon said.
He added that one of the key steps involves stricter regulation of fuel allocations for government vehicles.
“We will limit the fuel allowance of City Government vehicles and tighten monitoring of their use to ensure that they are only for necessary official activities. There is a separate fuel allocation for essential and responder offices so that the services needed by our countrymen are not affected,” he said in Filipino.
Under the policy, essential and responder offices will still receive separate fuel allocations to ensure that critical services continue without disruption.
Energy Conservation Across Government Offices
Aside from fuel controls, the city will adopt several operational adjustments to reduce overall energy consumption. Selected offices will shift to a compressed workweek schedule from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Thursday, while frontline and essential offices will continue operating under their regular five-day schedule.
In total, 38 city government offices will operate under the four-day workweek while 24 offices will maintain the standard work schedule.
The resolution also sets guidelines for electricity use in government buildings. Air-conditioning units will be used only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and lights or equipment that are not in use must be switched off to conserve energy.
Officials also emphasized reducing operational expenses through administrative adjustments. The resolution states that “Overtime work shall as far as practicable be avoided” and “unnecessary and unconscionable expenses arising from meetings, trainings and seminars whether local or international shall be avoided and for this purpose, the Human Resource Development Committee (HRDC) is enjoined to strictly monitor compliance.”
Additionally, “Attendance to offsite meetings, workshops and seminars shall be limited, virtual meetings shall be the default mode for coordination, inter office meetings, seminars and workshops shall be conducted virtually via digital platform as applicable.”
Through these measures, the Muntinlupa City government aims to safeguard consumers while managing public resources responsibly during a period of volatile fuel prices. For residents and businesses in the city, the initiative signals a proactive approach to maintaining essential services and protecting the local economy as energy costs continue to fluctuate nationwide.
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