TEMPORARY RESTRICTIONS ON OFFICIAL TRAVELS

“Official Travel Austerity and Energy Conservation Order of 2026.”

SECTION 2. COVERAGE

This Order shall apply to all departments, offices, divisions, units, section offices, and other instrumentalities under the Provincial Government of Negros Oriental, including all provincial officials and employees, whether permanent, temporary, contractual, casual, job order, or otherwise engaged.

SECTION 3. POLICY DIRECTION

All covered offices and personnel are hereby directed to strictly refrain from unnecessary travels and non-essential activities, whether undertaken within or outside the Province of Negros Oriental, whenever such travel or activity entails the use of government fuel, vehicles, electricity, public funds, or other resources that may be conserved without prejudice to the uninterrupted delivery of essential public services. Each head of office shall adopt reasonable internal guidelines for determining non-essential travels and activities, consistent with Section 5 of this Order and subject to the oversight of the Provincial Administrator.

SECTION 4. TEMPORARY RESTRICTIONS

Effective immediately and until lifted by the Governor, the following measures shall be observed:

1. All official travels, field visits, delegations, and attendance in ceremonies, conferences, seminars, trainings, benchmarking activities, meetings, and similar undertakings shall be suspended, deferred, or conducted through virtual means, unless strictly necessary for essential governance, emergency response, public health, peace and order, disaster risk reduction, social protection, revenue generation, legally mandated functions, or time-sensitive service delivery.
2. No department, office, or unit shall schedule or participate in non-essential group activities, celebrations, assemblies, team-building activities, courtesy calls, ceremonial events, or similar functions requiring transportation, fuel, electricity, venue use, or related expenditures, unless expressly authorized in writing by the Office of the Governor.
3. The use of government vehicles shall be limited to official functions that are indispensable and urgent. Trip scheduling shall be consolidated whenever practicable to avoid multiple or duplicative travel.
4. Out-of-province travel by provincial government personnel shall require prior written approval of the Governor or the duly authorized approving authority, upon clear showing that the travel is indispensable and cannot reasonably be postponed or conducted remotely.
5. In-province travel funded or facilitated by the provincial government shall likewise be subject to strict necessity and shall be reduced to the minimum extent possible.
6. Offices are encouraged to adopt remote coordination, online meetings, clustered service schedules, and other resource-saving arrangements to maintain service delivery while reducing fuel and energy consumption.

SECTION 5. ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES NOT COVERED BY THE RESTRICTION

The restriction shall not apply to travels and activities that are clearly necessary for the following:

1. Emergency, rescue, health, and disaster response operations;
2. Peace and order, law enforcement support, and public safety operations;
3. Delivery of urgent social services and assistance to affected communities;
4. Revenue, treasury, audit, engineering, infrastructure, agriculture, health, and other frontline functions that cannot be delayed without serious prejudice to the public interest;
5. Court appearances, quasi-judicial proceedings, and compliance with legal or regulatory deadlines; and
6. Other matters as may be determined by the Governor to be indispensable to public service.

SECTION 6. DEPARTMENTAL COMPLIANCE MEASURES

All heads of offices, departments, and units shall, within three (3) working days from the effectivity of this Order:

6.1 Review all scheduled travels, activities, meetings, and events under their respective offices;

6.2 Cancel, defer, scale down, or convert to virtual format those that are not essential;

6.3 Prepare internal conservation measures for transport, fuel use, and electricity consumption; and

6.4 Submit to the Office of the Governor a brief compliance report on the actions taken pursuant to this Order.

SECTION 7. MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT

The Provincial Administrator, in coordination with the Provincial General Services Office, Provincial Budget Office, Provincial Accountant’s Office, and other concerned offices, shall monitor compliance with this Order, ensure consistency with applicable Commission on Audit rules, and may recommend additional conservation measures as circumstances may require.

SECTION 8. ACCOUNTABILITY

Any unauthorized travel, non-essential activity, or improper use of government vehicles, fuel, electricity, or related public resources in violation of this Order shall be dealt with in accordance with applicable laws, civil service rules, auditing rules, and other pertinent regulations, and may constitute grounds for appropriate administrative or other actions.

SECTION 9. SEPARABILITY AND REPEAL

If any provision of this Executive Order is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions shall continue to be in full force and effect. All executive orders, memoranda, and issuances inconsistent herewith are modified, amended, or revoked accordingly.

SECTION 10. EFFECTIVITY

This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon issuance and shall remain in force until revoked or modified, subject to periodic review at least every three (3) months.