Manila declares March 23 a non-working gov't holiday

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED March 21, 2:58 p.m.) — In observance of the Holy Week, the local government of Manila City declared Wednesday, March 23 a non-working holiday for government employees.

“Mayor  Joseph Ejercito Estrada has declared that 23 March 2016, Holy Wednesday, is a non-working day in the City Government of Manila,” said City Administrator Ericson Alcovendaz in a memorandum dated March 10, 2016.

The holiday is to allow all city employees to have more time to prepare for the Holy Week.

With the declaration, Manila City will have a longer long weekend as March 24 (Maundy Thursday) and March 25 (Good Friday) are already declared national regular holidays by virtue of Proclamation 1105 signed by President Benigno Aquino III last year.

Various government agencies are on heightened alert already to ensure the safety of the public traveling to provinces via land, air and sea.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article appeared to suggest that the Manila government declared a city-wide non-working holiday. It has been updated to clarify that the memorandum only covered city government workers.