July 27 2021 declared a working holiday nationwide – 107th anniversary of Iglesia ni Cristo
The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC or Church of Christ), one of the largest religious denominations in the Philippines, will be celebrating its 107th foundation anniversary this July 27, Tuesday. The day is a special working holiday nationwide as stipulated in Republic Act 9645, which you can access here.
RA 9465 was signed into law in 2009 by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term. The law praises INC for its “exemplary feat of leading its members towards spiritual enlightenment and good citizenry.” There are no official figures as to the total number of INC members, but media organizations frequently place it at around two to three million.
Unfortunately, INC members who report for work on this day will not receive any additional compensation. This is because according to the 2020 version of Department of Labor and Employment’s Handbook on Workers’ Statutory Monetary Benefits (refer to page 18), no premium pay is required since work
performed on a special work day is considered similar to working on an ordinary workday. Click on this link to download the 2020 DOLE Handbook on Workers’ Statutory Monetary Benefits.
That might change in the coming years. In the current 17th Congress, several legislators have filed bills that seek to have July 27 of every year as a special non-working holiday. This include Senators Loren Legarda and Manny Pacquiao (Senate Bill #404) as well as Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto of Batangas and Rep. Winnie Castelo of Quezon City (House Bill #s 2607 and 4720, respectively).
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