Those complaining that the year 2012 had very few long holidays now have a reason to be happy about for next year.
With Malacanang Palace announcing the official dates of holidays in 2013, the next year will have at least 16 regular, special, and non-working holidays — leading to four (4) long weekends in March, August, November, and December next year.
It’s also possible that most people will take a 5th long weekend during Christmas week, since December 23, 2013 is a Monday and is “sandwiched” between the preceding weekend and the Christmas holidays.
The official dates of holidays in 2013 are as follows, based on Proclamation No. 459 signed by President Benigno S. Aquino.
Official Philippine Holidays – 2013
Based on Proclamation No. 459 signed by Pres. Noynoy Aquino
- January 1, 2013 (Tuesday) – New Year’s Day
- February 25, 2013 (Monday) – Anniversary of EDSA Revolution (special holiday for schools only)
- March 28, 2013 – Maundy Thursday
- March 29, 2013 – Good Friday
- March 30, 2013 – Black Saturday (special non-working holiday)
- April 9, 2013 (Tuesday) – Araw ng Kagitingan
- May 1, 2013 (Wednesday) – Labor Day
- May 13, 2013 (Monday) – Local / National Elections Day
- June 12, 2013 (Wednesday) – Independence Day
- August 21, 2013 (Wednesday) – Ninoy Aquino Day (special non-working holiday)
- August 26, 2013 (Monday) – National Heroes Day
- November 1, 2013 (Friday) – All Saints’ Day (special non-working holiday)
- November 2, 2013 (Saturday) – All Souls’ Day (special non-working holiday)
- November 30, 2013 (Saturday) – Bonifacio Day
- December 24, 2013 (Tuesday) – Christmas Eve (special non-working holiday)
- December 25, 2013 (Wednesday) – Christmas Day
- December 30, 2013 (Monday) – Rizal Day
- December 31, 2013 (Tuesday) – Last Day of the Year (special non-working holiday
- Festival of Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) – To be announced
Eid’l Fitr Holiday declared on August 9
NEW! August 9, 2013 (Friday) – End of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr)
As per Malacanang Proclamation No. 629, issued on August 1, 2013, August 9 (Friday) has been declared a regular holiday in observance of Eid’l Fitr or the Feast of Ramadhan.
“To promote cultural understanding and integration, the entire Filipino nation should have the full opportunity to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in the observance and celebration of Eid’l Fitr,” the proclamation said.
Here is a link to the official government announcement on www.gov.ph.
4 long weekends
With the announced holidays, Filipinos will be enjoying four (4) long weekends in 2013:
March 28 (Thursday) to 31 (Sunday) — in observance of the Holy Week
August 24 (Saturday) to 26 (Monday) — in commemoration of National Heroes Day
November 1 (Friday) to 3 (Sunday) — in observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day
December 28 (Saturday) to January 1, 2014 (Wednesday) — in celebration of Rizal Day and New Year
It’s highly likely that some Filipinos will have a 5th “unofficial” long weekend during Christmas by taking a leave on December 23, 2013 (Monday) since it is “sandwiched” between the prior weekend and the Christmas holidays.
Some people might even extend their leaves and go on vacation as well on December 26 (Thursday) and December 27 (Friday) — effectively spending a very, very long holiday from December 21, 2013 (Saturday) until January 1, 2014 (Wednesday) — a total of twelve (12) rest days.
Happy holidays indeed!
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