MANILA, Philippines - State employees don't need a law to regulate their use of Facebook and Twitter during office hours. According to Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, department heads could simply issue policies regulating use of social networking sites for their employees.

Lacierda said regulating Facebook and Twitter use does not go against the new administration's move to embrace social media to reach out to the public. He said the government simply does not want state employees to sacrifice productivity if they spend too much time on social networking sites.

Secretary Ricky Carandang of the President's Communications Group also backed the proposal to regulate Facebook and Twitter use in government.

"May punto naman si Congressman [Romero Federico] Quimbo if some offices have employees using too much social network, yung bumababa ang productivity, something should be done about it. Pero I don't know kung kailangan isabatas pa yun because sa department naman pwede ka maglagay ng guidelines e," he said.

Marikina City 2nd District Rep. Romero Federico Quimbo filed Wednesday House Bill 184, which seeks to impose regulations on the use of government Internet facilities to access social networking sites.

While Quimbo does not want a total ban, he proposes that government agencies regulate the use of social networking sites because it affects the productivity of the agencies.

The measure also proposes that government-owned and -controlled corporations be included in the regulation.

Quimbo said that based on his own estimate, the government loses P10,315,8000 a month in electricity expenses if government employees use Facebook and Twitter 2 hours daily.