Senate eyes one special holiday per province

MANILA, Philippines — As the number of holidays in the country now totals almost a month or a good 30 days, the Senate is eyeing to limit special non-working holidays per province, Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito said yesterday.

Ejercito said the issue was first raised by Senate President Francis Escudero, who pointed out that employee competitiveness is affected by the almost month-long holidays, which also includes holidays in the provinces, cities and towns – usually to commemorate their founding anniversaries.

“There should only be one holiday per province so the concerns of employers and the labor sector will also be satisfied. The policy of the Senate is for one special non-working holiday per province,” Ejercito said in an interview over dzBB.

However, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), in opposing the idea, said that the country actually has only 12 regular holidays with pay and four special holidays that operate on a “no work, no pay” basis.

The group also asked that, instead of tinkering with the holidays, the Senate should address wage disparities nationwide.

“We urge the government to focus on the critical issue of wage reform rather than tinkering with our holidays. Our current wage system needs to be overhauled to ensure that all workers, regardless of their location or sector, receive fair and decent wages that allow them to live with dignity,” said FFW vice president Jun Ramirez.

According to Ejercito, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has expressed concern that the country’s working days are reduced but employers have to shell out to cover the holiday pay.

“The Senate President has pointed that out so we have to rationalize, we give one per province… There should only be one special non-working (holiday). If there is already one, it can be made a special working holiday as a compromise,” Ejercito said.

Earlier, Escudero said some senators have agreed to limit the holidays and that he has already asked for a study on the holiday format in the United States. He admitted, though, that senators might have different perceptions on the matter.

“All in all, the holidays in our country will make up a month which makes Philippine companies and workers less competitive,” Escudero said.

In the US, Escudero noted, the commemoration of all heroes or presidents is done in one day. But in the Philippines, there are local holidays in every city, municipality and province on top of the national holidays and religion-related holidays.

“They (US) have Presidents’ Day, they put all their great presidents together in just one day of the holidays. But in the case of the Philippines, there is Araw ng Kagitingan, National Heroes’ Day. And every hero, when they are killed, has a holiday again, right?” Escudero said.

FFW’s Ramirez urged the Senate not to push for new measures reducing the existing holidays considering that employers could also require their personnel to work on a holiday, provided they pay a premium for the work done on that day.

The proposal to reduce holidays, he said, seems to be intended to avoid the payment of premiums hidden under the guise of maximizing productivity.

“It is a camouflage to maximize profit at the expense of wage premium that workers enjoy during holidays,” Ramirez said.

Rather than focusing on reviewing designated holidays, Ramirez said the government must undertake a comprehensive review of the wage system in the country to address wage disparities.

Compared to other ASEAN countries, FFW stressed that Filipino workers are at a disadvantage in terms of paid-leave benefits.

Under the Labor Code, Filipino workers are entitled to only five days of annual paid leave, known as service incentive leave (SIL), while other ASEAN countries offer significantly higher leave entitlements.

The labor group also called on the House of Representatives to prioritize the passage of P150-wage recovery measures and ensure that all Filipino workers receive just compensation. — Mayen Jaymalin