A new list of regular and unique non-working holidays was announced by Malacañang on Wednesday. Some dates had been changed to support the “holiday economics” that had previously been put into place under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s presidency.
In President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Proclamation No. 90, some holidays were adjusted “under the principle of holiday economics,” where they aimed to boost domestic travel and tourism revenue in the country.
Some of these include April 10, 2023, a regular holiday to mark Araw ng Kagitingan, which falls on a Sunday. He also changed Bonifacio Day’s normal holiday to November 27. In addition, January 2, 2023, will be a special non-working day in honor of New Year’s Day, which occurs on a Sunday, and “in observance of the Filipino tradition of visiting relatives and spending time with their families.”
Moreover, he designated December 31, 2023, and November 2, 2023, as special non-working days, thereby reversing the position taken in the latter years of the previous administration of President Rodrigo Duterte in which All Souls’ Day and the final day of the year were not declared holidays.
With that, here is the list of the regular holidays for 2023:
- New Year’s Day – January 1, 2023 (Sunday)
- Araw ng Kagitingan – April 10, 2023 (Monday nearest April 9, 2023)
- Maundy Thursday – April 6, 2023
- Good Friday – April 7, 2023
- Labor Day – May 1, 2023 (Monday)
- Independence Day – June 12, 2023 (Monday)
- National Heroes Day – August 28, 2023 (Last Monday of August)
- Bonifacio Day – November 27, 2023 (Monday nearest November 30)
- Christmas Day – December 25, 2023 (Monday)
- Rizal Day – December 30, 2023 (Saturday)
For special non-working days:
- EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary – February 25, 2023 (Saturday)
- Black Saturday – April 8, 2023
- Ninoy Aquino Day – August 21, 2023 (Monday)
- All Saints’ Day – November 1, 2023 (Wednesday)
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary – December 8, 2023 (Friday)
- Last Day of the Year – December 31, 2023 (Sunday)
Finally, here are two additional special non-working days:
- January 2, 2023 (Monday)
- November 2, 2023 (Thursday)
For the declaration of holidays in observance of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the Malacañang will post two separate declarations after the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos makes a recommendation about the timing of these certain Islamic holidays.
