June 20 Holiday declared | Rizal Day 2011 Holiday moved to June 20

Rizal Day 2011 Holiday | Photo courtesy of Vibal Foundation

Through Proclamation No. 154, President Noynoy Aquino has declared June 20, 2011 a special non-working holiday. This is to allow more Filipinos to commemorate and participate in the activities set on the 150th birth anniversary of the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal.

Rizal's birthday, June 19 falls on a Sunday this year but the National Historical Commission of the Philippines requested the holiday to be moved to June 20, Monday.

Here's the full text of the Proclamation courtesy of the Government's Official Gazette:

MALACAÑAN PALACE

Manila

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROCLAMATION NO. 154

DECLARING MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2011, AS SPECIAL (NON-WORKING) DAY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

WHEREAS, Sunday, June 19, 2011, marks the 150^th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, our national hero;

WHEREAS, to give all Filipinos the opportunity to commemorate Rizal’s patriotic deeds and sacrifices for the country, rekindle their admiration and respect for him, and to celebrate this milestone with appropriate ceremonies, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) requested that Monday, June 20, 2011, be declared as special non-working holiday instead of June 19, 2011, which falls on a Sunday.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare Monday, June 20, 2011, as special (non-working) day throughout the country.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

Done in the City of Manila, this 26^th day of April, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Eleven.

(Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III

By the President:

(Sgd.) PAQUITO N. OCHOA JR.

Executive Secretary

Meanwhile, the descendants of Rizal created a Facebook Fan Page of their grandfather to commemorate his 150th birthday and to reach out to the youth of today. Check info HERE.

May 2, 2011, a holiday in the Philippines? | Labor Day Holiday on May 2?

Many people have been asking whether May 2, 2011 will be set as a holiday in the Philippines.

Labor Day 2011 | Photo courtesy of Google Images

The previous administration had this policy of moving holidays to another date close to a weekend so that workers could "spend more days with their families" and "to strengthen the Philippine economy by promoting domestic travel and tourism". Since Labor Day 2011 falls on a Sunday, many are wondering whether the holiday is going to be moved on Monday, May 2, 2o11.

The answer would be, "No". The so called "holiday economics" had been junked by PNoy through the Proclamation No. 84 which mandates that "all holidays be observed on the day they actually fall instead of being moved to the nearest Monday for longer weekends as was the practice under the Arroyo administration."

On an ABS-CBN report, Malacañang spokesman Edwin Lacierda also said May 1, which falls on a Sunday, is the regular holiday for Labor Day - not May 2.

Sorry then to those who are hoping. But don't worry May 1, 2012 will be a Tuesday. Lol. :D

Black Saturday Holiday declared | Proclaimation No. 150 Full Text

Black Saturday Holiday declared | Proclaimation No. 150 Full Text

As reported here on Noypistuff just a few minutes when the Government's Official Gazette announced it, Black Saturday (April 23, 2011) was declared a special non-working holiday throughout the country after the President signed Proclamation No. 150. I found the full text of the Proclamation and I thought of posting it below since it contains the reasons of the declaration of the holiday. :D

Black Saturday Holiday declared | Photo of PNoy taken in a different event (not the Black Saturday Holiday declaration) courtesy of Google Images :D

Malacanan Palace
Manila

By the President of the Philippines

Proclamation No. 150

Declaring Saturday, April 23, 2011, as a Special (Non-Working) Day Throughout the Country

WHEREAS, Saturday, April 23, 2011 falls between Good Friday and Easter Sunday;

WHEREAS, Black Saturday, falling between Good Friday and Easter Sunday has been traditionally declared a special (non-working) day throughout the country;

WHEREAS, the observance of Holy Week is one of our people's most cherished traditions;

WHEREAS, our people must be given the full and uninterrupted opportunity to ponder on the significance of the Holy Week and to properly observe its traditions with religious fervor, without prejudice to public interest.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declared Saturday, April 23, 2011, as a special (non-working) day throughout the country.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused teh seal of the Republic of the Philippines.

Done in the City of Manila, this 18th day of April, in the year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Eleven.

By the President,

PAQUITO N. OCHOA, JR.

Executive Secretary

February 25, a special holiday for schools!

In lieu of the 25th anniversary celebration of the 1986 People Power Revolution in EDSA (EDSA I), Malacañang has announced that there will be no classes in all school levels on February 25, 2011 (Friday).

Yes, February 25 has been declared a special holiday for schools only. It will be a regular working day for employees. However, Malacañang urged employers to allow their workers to leave early on that day.

The 1986 EDSA Revolution led to the proclamation of the late Corazon Aquino, mother of PNoy, as the 11th President of the Republic of the Philippines. The historical event ousted the 14-year martial rule of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and thus, bringing back the country's democracy.

2011 Philippine Holidays

As outlined in Proclamation No. 84, here is the list of Philippine Official Public Holidays for 2011 which was released by the Malacanang and signed by President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III:

A. Regular Holidays

• New Year’s Day – January 1 (Saturday)
• Araw ng Kagitingan – April 9 (Saturday)
• Maundy Thursday – April 21
• Good Friday – April 22
• Labor Day – May 1 (Sunday)
• Independence Day – June 12 (Sunday)
• National Heroes Day – August 29 (Last Monday of August)
• Bonifacio Day – November 30 (Wednesday)
• Christmas Day – December 25 (Sunday)
• Rizal Day – December 30 (Friday)

B. Special (Non-Working) Days

• Ninoy Aquino Day – August 21 (Sunday)
• All Saints Day – November 1 (Tuesday)
• Last Day of the Year – December 31 (Saturday)

C. Special Holiday (for all schools)

• EDSA Revolution Anniversary – February 25 (Friday)

The Islamic holidays Eid’l Fitr and Eidul Adha observance shall be determined according to the Islamic or lunar calendar. The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) shall determine their dates.

On the other hand, The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is tasked to promulgate the implementing guidelines for this Proclamation, the proclamation stated.