The City Council of Manila has outlined power-saving tips for all government employees. The austerity measures were adopted due to Manila’s almost empty coffers and PHP485 million in unpaid electricity bills. The Estrada administration inherited a PHP598-million debt, and this is just for power bills. The new officials have managed to trim that down to PHP485 million. However, with only PHP235 million left in the city’s budget for 2013, it doesn’t seem likely that this backlog will be settled any time soon.
In the meantime, government employees and city hall personnel have been asked to observe the power-saving measures: refrain from charging their personal gadgets at work or cooking in their offices using electrical stoves. During lunch break, the staff have been asked to switch off unnecessary lights and turn to the lowest setting the air-conditioning units, electric fans and coolers. A city council resolution was also passed that bans the use of office computers for personal purposes or playing games. We guess that includes Facebook and Instagram too.
