Malacañang’s last-minute proclamation of Feb. 24 as a special (non-working) day so the public can enjoy a longer weekend created confusion to many, particularly those with work or class on Saturday, Feb. 25.
An announcement in the Official Gazette of the Philippines said Feb. 24 had been declared a special non-working holiday to mark the 37th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution “in lieu of” Feb. 25, which falls on a Saturday this year. The date, which is listed as a special non-working holiday in the Gazette, would otherwise be a regular working or school day for some.
This flip-flop by the government caused havoc to the public, especially the affected employees and students who did not know which advisory to follow.
VFFC: Marcos admin flip-flops on Feb. 24-25 holiday declaration by VERA Files
The EDSA People Power Revolution lasted four days from Feb. 22 to 25 in 1986 when the Marcos family was flown to Honolulu, Hawaii where they lived in exile.
Proclamation No. 167, released by Malacañang at the close of working hours on Thursday, Feb. 23, announced that the “celebration of EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary may be moved from 25 February 2023 (Saturday) to 24 February 2023 (Friday).” It said that this would “enable our countrymen to avail of benefits of a longer weekend pursuant to the principle of holiday economics.”
Many believed that this meant an extended three-day weekend without work or class from Friday to Sunday.
However, the Department of Labor and Employment Bureau of Working Conditions clarified on Friday that Proclamation No. 167 “just moved the special non-working day from 25 February 2023 to 24 February 2023” and, therefore, Feb. 25 is “an ordinary working day.”
In an archived version of the Official Gazette of the Philippines, Feb. 25 is marked as a special non-working holiday, based on Proclamation No. 90 issued in November 2022. Proclamation No. 90 states that the principle of holiday economics is to have a “longer weekend [to] help encourage domestic travel and increase tourism expenditures in the country.”
Proclamation No. 167 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Feb. 23 does not explicitly amend previous issuances declaring Feb. 25 as a special (non-working) day.
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Sources
Official Gazette of the Philippines, Proclamation No. 167
Official Gazette of the Philippines, Consistent with the…, Feb. 24, 2023
Department of Labor and Employment-Bureau of Working Conditions, DOLE issues Labor Advisory No. 02, Series of 2023 on the Payment of Wages for the Special (Non-Working) Day on 24 February 2023, pursuant to Proclamation No. 167…, Feb. 24, 2023
Official Gazette of the Philippines, Nationwide Holidays
Bongbong Marcos Official Twitter, Ating idineklarang Non-Working Holiday ang February 24, 2023, Biyernes…, Feb. 23, 2023
Official Gazette of the Philippines, Proclamation No. 90, s. 2022
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
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