Two long weekends this month - Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Two long weekends await Filipinos this month. Malacañang has declared Oct.25 – a Monday – a special non-working holiday to give way to the barangay elections, even as the country commemorates All Saints’ Day the following Monday.

President Aquino issued Proclamation 48 to give Filipino voters in 42,000 barangays all over the country “the fullest opportunity to participate in the said elections and exercise their right to vote.” 

The last time Mr. Aquino declared a holiday was for the commemoration of National Heroes Day on Aug. 30. 

On Nov. 1, thousands of Filipinos are expected to troop to cemeteries to honor their dead.

Traditionally, and based on Church calendar, Nov. 1 is All Saints’ Day, and the day for honoring the dead should be on Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day. 

In 2007, former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law the bill on holiday economics, which aimed to give the public more long weekends to enjoy. Republic Act 9492 amends a provision in the National Administrative Code of 1987, to allow the government to move holidays – except those with religious significance – to the nearest Monday. 

Under the law, four holidays would continue to be celebrated on a fixed date, namely Jan. 1 or New Year’s Day; Nov. 1, All Saints’ Day; Dec. 25, Christmas Day; and the last day of the year, Dec. 31. 

Three other holidays – namely Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Eid’l Fitr – have always been movable dates so their status would remain unchanged under the law.

“In the event the holiday falls on a Wednesday, the holiday will be observed on the Monday of that week. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday will be observed on the Monday that follows,” a portion of the law read.   

In the case of movable holidays, the President shall issue a proclamation, at least six months prior to the holiday concerned. It was Sen. Joker Arroyo who conceived of the bill in response to the practice of the previous administration of announcing special non-working holidays without enough prior notice. “There are complaints that because of the suddenness of the announcement, business, employees, students, professionals and the public in general cannot plan beforehand what they would like to do during that particular day and this defeats the very spirit of why holidays are celebrated.”