Duterte declares June 5 holiday for Eid’l Fitr

President Rodrigo Duterte (ROLANDO MAILO / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

TOKYO, Japan — President Rodrigo Duterte has declared June 5 as a non-working holiday for the observance of Eid’l Fitr or the culmination of the Fasting of Ramadan, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Wednesday.

Medialdea, by the authority of the President, signed Proclamation No. 729 on May 28 after the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos recommended June 5 to be declared as a national holiday. 

“The entire Filipino nation should have the full opportunity to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in peace and harmony in the observance of Eid’l Fitr,” the proclamation read.

The President said it was necessary to declare the holiday “to bring the religious and cultural significance of the Eid’l Fitr to the fore of national consciousness.” (Editor: Cenon B. Bibe Jr.)