#HolyWeek2017 – April 12 2017 is not a holiday
Is April 12, Holy Wednesday, a holiday?
With the country heading to the Holy Week, many are asking if April 12 2017 is also a holiday. If so, that will give Filipinos a rare five-day break which also includes Maundy Thursday (April 13), Good Friday (April 14), Black Saturday (April 15), and Easter Sunday (April 16).
However, according to President Rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation 50 which he signed last August 2016, April 12 is not included in the official list of holidays for 2017. In other words, Holy Wednesday is still technically a regular working day.
While government offices and perhaps some private companies are expected to declare half-day for April 12, it is still very important for employees to actually show up for work on the said day.
As stipulated in the Department of Labor and Employment’s Handbook on Workers’ Statutory Monetary Benefits – 2016 edition, in cases of back-to-back holidays, “an employee may not be paid for both holidays if he/she absents himself/herself from work on the day immediately preceding the first holiday.”
So, those who will not report for work on April 12 may end up not being paid for the April 13 and April 14 regular holidays. The 75-page handbook can be downloaded here.
PLEASE LIKE THE FILIPINO SCRIBE ON FACEBOOK!
About Author
