Half-day work in government offices on Holy Wednesday

MANILA, Philippines — To provide state workers full opportunity to properly observe Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Malacañang has suspended work in government offices from 12 noon onwards on March 27, Holy Wednesday.

The suspension will allow them to travel to and from the different regions in the country, according to Memorandum Circular 45 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin yesterday.

“However, those agencies whose functions involve the delivery of basic and health services, preparedness/response to disasters and calamities and/or the performance of other vital services shall continue with their operations and render the necessary services,” the memo declared.

The suspension of work in private companies and offices is left to the sound discretion of their respective employers, it said.?Malacañang said authorities expect an exodus as Filipinos rush to the provinces for the observance of the Lenten season.

More than 85 million or 78.8 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholic, based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Beware of travel scams

Travel scams spreading through text messages, social media messaging platforms and email are being addressed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) as the country commemorates the Holy Week.

The DICT has received numerous travel scam complaints over the past few days.

“Many complainants received texts pretending to be promo or discounts when they purchase tickets or book resorts after clicking a link to a website. Do not click the link,” DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said yesterday.

He advised Filipinos to report suspicious offers to the anti-scam hotline 1326 so authorities could investigate and prosecute scammers.

Online and text scams reportedly increase during holidays in the Philippines.

The Online Bantay Lakbay 2024 campaign was launched yesterday by the DICT in partnership with the Department of Transportation, Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

The launching was held at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, attended by Uy, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and MMDA Chairman Romando Artes.

Filipinos should be wary of online scams as cyber hackers and fraudsters will be utilizing travel scams and phishing attacks this Holy Week, according to multinational cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

Travelers should also be cautious of tantalizing offers sent through text messages, social media or email, the firm noted.

“Always check the address bar to make sure you are actually on the website you are supposed to be on. Buy tickets and book hotel rooms either from the company directly or through a well-known ticketing or hotel site,” Kaspersky advised. — Rainier Allan Ronda