EID’L FITR | July 17 2015 declared a holiday nationwide
(UPDATED, JULY 9)
Muslim Filipinos will be joining the rest of the Islamic world in observing the end of the holy month of Ramadan or Eid’l Fitr on July 17. The day has been declared by President Benigno Aquino III as a nationwide holiday through Proclamation 1070, which was released this July 9.
Eid’l Fitr is a national holiday as mandated by Republic Act (RA) 9177, which came into effect in 2002 or early during the term of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The complete version of RA 9177 can be accessed in this link.
It must be kept in mind the Office of the President upon the recommendation of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) can announce the final date for this religious holiday. This post will be updated as soon as new information becomes available.
The NCMF has uploaded on its website a 30-day prayer and fasting schedule for Muslims residing in Metro Manila. In the same document, the agency noted that NCMF staffers will conduct a moon-sighting on June 29, Monday, to determine the last day of Ramadan fasting as well as the date for Eid’l Fitr.
The relationship of certain segments of Muslim Filipinos with the rest of the country has been rocky this year. The trouble began in late January when elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) killed 44 members of the PNP-SAF following an operation to neutralize international terrorists Marwan and Basit Usman. That led to calls by some hard-liners for the government to launch an all-out war against the group.
That deadly incident also served as a catalyst for public opinion to turn against the said secessionist group, making it unlikely for the Aquino government to muster enough legislative support for the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.
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Hi sir. Any update on this?