MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos will enjoy two successive long weekends starting this week, after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared Monday a holiday.

Pursuant to her “holiday economics,” Arroyo declared Monday, April 6 a holiday since Araw ng Kagitingan, which recalls the bravery of World War II veterans, would fall on Holy Thursday.

This is contained under Proclamation 1699, which lists down all the holidays for 2009.

There will be only two working days next week, Tuesday (April 7) and Wednesday (April 8). Thursday and Friday are regular holidays as part of the Catholics’ commemoration of the Lenten season. Joel Guinto