May 9 2016 to be declared a national holiday?
Around 54.4 Filipinos are qualified to vote in the coming May 9 2016 national and local elections. To maximize voter turnout, President Benigno Aquino III is expected to declare the said day, which falls on the second Monday of May as the 1987 Constitution requires, a special non-working holiday.
The likelihood of President Aquino doing so is very high. Three years ago, he issued holiday proclamations for May 13 2013 (the date of the midterm elections) and for October 28 2013 (the date of the barangay elections) with the intention of giving Filipinos “the fullest opportunity to participate in the elections and (to) exercise their right to vote.”
Not declaring May 9 a holiday may seriously lower voters’ turnout since the Philippines currently does not allow early voting unlike in the United States. This post will be updated if and when the President releases such an announcement.
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