Albay Representative Joey Salceda has filed a bill limiting the number of non-working holidays in the country.
Salceda said that having too many holidays take a toll on productivity and increases business costs.
“Public holidays allow the commemoration of special events and provide the people with some rest. Holidays, however, also mean non-working days, reduced productivity, and increased labor and business costs. For some workers, this can also mean ‘no work, no pay,'” Salceda explained in his bill.
Salceda said the Philippines is among countries with fhe most number of holidays, reaching 21-25 at the very least.
“While Congress has exercised some restraint in further increasing the many holidays in our country, particularly those that are non-working, we need to do more to improve our holiday policy to expand our nation’s productivity and increase our competitiveness,” Salceda said.
Under the proposed law, the number of regular nonworking holidays will be limited to nine.
- New Year’s Day – January 1
- Good Friday – movable date
- Eidul Fitr – movable date
- Labor Day – Monday nearest to May 1
- Independence Day – June 12
- All Saint’s Day – November 1
- Bonifacio Day – November 30
- Christmas Day – December 25
The rest will be optional depending on the agreement between employers and employees. (Photo: Bicol Standard)
(TT)
