RP to have 2 long weekends in August as PGMA’s holiday economics becomes a law

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
July 27, 2007

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  The country will have two long weekends in the month of August after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Republic Act 9492 or an Act Rationalizing the Celebration of Holidays.

This means that the President’s holiday economics, or the practice of shifting holiday observances, is now official government policy.

The law mandates that most holidays, except those with religious significance, will be shifted to the nearest Monday.

So, next month, Ninoy Aquino Day, which celebrates the martyred anti-Marcos opposition leader, normally celebrated on August 21, a Tuesday, will shift to the preceding Monday, August 20.

National Heroes’ Day, celebrated on August 31, will be observed every last Monday of August, which this year falls on August 27. That’s two long weekends for the month of August.

The “moveable days” are Bataan Day (April 9), Labor Day (1 May), Independence Day (June 12), National Heroes Day (August 31), Bonifacio Day (November 30) and Rizal Day (December 30).

Thus, if Independence Day, June 12, falls on a weekend, it will be celebrated on the following Monday. The same principle applies if June 12 falls on any day except Monday.

Exempted from holiday economics – that is, holidays that will be observed on the date on which they fall – are Christmas Day (December 25), New Year’s Eve (December 31), New Year’s Day (January 1), Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Eid’l Fitre (October 13) and All Saints Day (November 1).

President Corazon Aquino, who coined the term holiday economics, introduced the policy in 2001 to reduce disruption to business and production schedules, encourage domestic tourism and give employees long weekends.

The National Statistical Coordination Board figures showed that if tourism businesses and related industries increased by 10 percent as a result of the long weekends, the economy would actually experience a 3.5-percent growth in gross domestic product.

The employees will actually benefit from this law because under the country’s labor laws, employers must pay 200 percent of the daily rate to those employees who report for work on legal holidays – January 1, April 9, May 1, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, June 12, National Heroes Day, Eid’l Fitre, November 30, Christmas Day and December.

On special holidays, employers must pay 30 percent over the regular rate. These are Ninoy Aquino Day, November 1, Election Day, November 30, Black Saturday and holidays that may be declared from time to time by the President.

The law will also benefit the employers because they will be able to plan out their work schedule without interruption as all the holidays are already known unlike now when there are sudden announcements of special non-working holidays which some sectors feel, interrupts business.