Marcos Jr. declares Dec. 26 as special non-working day

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has declared Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, as a special non-working day nationwide.

Marcos on Thursday issued Proclamation No. 115, declaring Dec. 26, 2022 as an additional non-working day, saying this was to “give the people the full opportunity to celebrate the holiday with their families and loved ones.”

“A longer weekend will encourage families to get together and strengthen their relationship towards a more productive environment, and will promote tourism,” the proclamation read.

Marcos also ordered the Department of Labor and Employment to issue the appropriate circular to implement the proclamation for the private sector.

Christmas Day, which will fall on a Sunday, is observed as a regular holiday.

To allow “long weekends” in 2023, Malacañang earlier updated the list of regular holidays and special non-working days through Proclamation 90, which amended Proclamation 42.

Under Proclamation 90, Jan. 2, 2023, which will fall on a Monday, will be an additional special non-working day “in consideration of the Filipino tradition of visiting relatives and spending time with their families for this occasion.”

Jan. 1, 2023, is already a regular holiday under Proclamation 90.

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