‘Observe Sunday holidays on Monday’

MANILA, Philippines - A senior administration lawmaker has proposed that all holidays that fall on a Sunday be observed and commemorated the following Monday.

Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, chairman of the House committee on Metro Manila development, filed House Bill 5235, which seeks to formalize the practice of celebrating on Monday the various holidays that fall on Sunday.

“In principle, national holidays observed on Sunday, which is essentially a holiday, lose their significance and meaning on account of the special days being subsumed under this day already declared a holiday by virtue of custom and tradition,” Castelo said in the bill’s explanatory note.

“Filipino families look forward to these national holidays as they serve as sporadic opportunities in which they get together and engage in common activities that strengthen their bond as a family,” he added.

The country celebrates at least a dozen holidays or non-working days every year, including Christmas, New Year’s Day, All Saints’ Day, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, among others.