August 30 non-working holiday in Mandaue City

CEBU, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved a bill declaring every August 30 as a special non-working holiday in the City of Mandaue to commemorate its Charter Day anniversary.

House Bill (HB) No. 3404 filed by Sixth District Representative and former mayor, Jonas Cortes, has already been forwarded to the Senate.

Responding to the request of the Mandaue City Council, Cortes filed HB 3404 on August 31, 2016, a day after the city celebrated its 47th Charter Day celebration.

“The immediate passage of this bill is ardently requested by the good people of Mandaue so as to recognize the men and women who contributed to its progress and development as well as encourage the full participation of Mandauehanons in the annual cultural celebration in order to boost socio-cultural involvement as well as increase tourism in the City of Mandaue,” read Cortes’ bill.

Cortes also said that Mandaue today is a thriving first class city and is known as the “industrial heartland of Cebu.”

As of 1991, the City of Mandaue was recognized as a Highly Urbanized City (HUC), added Cortes.

The Mandaue City Council earlier passed a resolution sponsored by Councilor Demetrio Cortes Jr. requesting Rep. Cortes to introduce a bill in the House of Representatives declaring every August 30 as a special non-working holiday in the city.

Councilor Cortes said only a special law from Congress can set aside the traditional process of requesting the President to issue Presidential Proclamation declaring the date as a special non-working holiday.

According to him, it has been four decades, since the issuance of the cityhood of Mandaue, that the City Council has been passing resolutions requesting the sitting President for the proclamation.

On June 21, 1969, Republic Act 5519, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Mandaue, was signed into law. Another presidential proclamation on August 30, 1969 formally organized the charter day on the said date.

The late Demetrio Cortes Sr. served as the first mayor of the City of Mandaue.

Since then, every year, Mandauehanons have been celebrating the Mandaue City Charter Day every 30th of August. —/JBB (FREEMAN)