Palace declares Oct. 31 a holiday

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. signed for President Aquino the proclamation declaring October 31 a special nonworking holiday.

Filipinos will have a long weekend when they remember their dead next month.

In Proclamation No. 265,  Malacañang on Monday declared October 31, which falls on a Monday, “a special nonworking day throughout the country.”

The next day, November 1, is All Saints Day, when most Filipinos usually visit their dead. Traditionally, it is also a special nonworking day.

The proclamation was signed for President Benigno Aquino III by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.

Mr. Aquino said he was declaring October 31 a special nonworking day to “give full opportunity to our people to properly observe the day with all its religious fervor, which invariably requires them to travel to and from different regions of the country.”