CEBU, Philippines- Today, August 6, is a special non-working holiday in the entire province of Cebu in celebration of its 445th founding anniversary.
The observance is in adherence to Republic Act 8952, which declared August 6 of every year a special non-working public holiday not only in Cebu province but also in the highly-urbanized chartered cities of Cebu and Mandaue.
RA 8952 amended RA 7698, which declared the special non-working public holiday to be effective in the province alone. Both laws were authored by former Cebu first district congressman and House of Representatives majority floor leader Eduardo Gullas.
RA 8952 ended the confusion over whether Cebu City, as a chartered city, is covered by RA 7698 or not.
Since today a special non-working holiday, a 30-percent premium on top of their basic pay will be enjoyed by those who would report to work on this day.
How Cebu's founding anniversary was reckoned? In 1993, the Provincial Board passed a resolution that set that it should be when Spain's King Philip II, in a royal cedula, appointed Miguel Lopez de Legazpi as Governor of Cebu on August 6, 1569.
A portion of the said PB resolution reads, "The appointment of Legazpi as governor and captain general, with definition of his duties and powers, as well as the existence of a de facto or emerging province, could well mark the foundation, although loosely, of a Province of Cebu."
During the anniversary today, a Holy Mass to be attended by provincial officials and employees will be held 10 a.m. at the Capitol Social Hall
A 1:30 p.m. program would then follow with Governor Hilario Davide III delivering an anniversary message and making some announcements. The program includes a dance contest "Sayaw sa Dekada 80" and the raffling off of major prizes.
Performances of local bands during the "Gabii sa Sugbu" would happen tomorrow as part of the celebration. - /RHM) (FREEMAN)