List of Philippine Holidays for 2008
Posted by on January 7, 2008
Below is the list of LEGAL (or Regular) Holidays in the Philippines for the year 2008. Note that some of the holidays have been moved to Monday as part of the Holiday Economics Policy of President Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo as per Republic Act 9242.
January 1 New Year’s Day
March 20 Maundy Thursday
March 21 Good Friday
April 7 Araw ng Kagitingan (in lieu of April 9)
May 5 Labor Day (in lieu of May 1) May 1
June 16 Independence Day (in lieu of June 12)
August 25 Ninoy Aquino Day (in lieu of August 21)
August 25 National Heroes Day
October 1 Eid’l Fitr (to be confirmed by the OMA)
November 1 All Saints Day
December 1 Bonifacio Day (in lieu of Nov. 30)
December 25 Christmas Day
December 26 – Special Holiday
December 29 -Specia Holiday
December 30 – Rizal Day Monday
December 31 Last Day of the Year
Vew the Cmoplete list of 2008 Philippine Holidays HERE
I’m all for moving holidays so we can have longer weekends, but some dates just shouldn’t be moved. Like the Independence day. When June 12 rolls by, people would most likely not realize the significance of that date.
Or siguro bitter lang ako kasi I follow the American holidays (and goodness knows they hardly have ANY!)
Anyway, Happy new year Eric! Kelan ba tayo magkikita uli?
Are you sure about Labor Day? I thought it was one of those holidays included in the “do not move” list (e.i. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Christmas, etc) due to protests from the labor groups.
You mean to say that Monday, 29 December, would be a holiday; then back to work the following day; then a holiday again on the 31st?
Please say you’re not kidding…
for your reference..
http://www.gov.ph/faqs/holidays.asp
I,M NOT FAVOR ON HOLIDAYS MOVING ON MONDAYS. IT IS VERY UNFAIR FOR US WHOSE DAY OFFS FIX ON MONDAYS!!! WHAT DATE FALLS ON HOLIDAYS PLEASE STICK TO IT…DON’T MOVE THE HOLIDAYS!!! MAKASARILI KAYO!!!!
WAG NYO NANG BAGUHIN ANG MGA HOLIDAYS PARA WALANG GULO!!!
Please do not change our holidays! Let it be. Mahirap palitan pag fix na ang schedules.
just want to ask if the sked dates are final.I am a travel agent
and have prior bookings so I need to know if May 5 is confirmed
for labor day celebration(holiday) in lieu of May 1.thank you.
Um… the gov website says June 12 is moved to June 9th as it’s the closest Monday. Why is it 16 on your list? I also heard from some folks it’s on the 16th so i’m a little bit confused.
hoy concern kuno citizen kayo makasarili! bakit miyon ba kayo?
tama si Nina, dapat nga may mga holidays na Hindi Dapat ilipat ang petsa at Dapat ilipat ang petsa, mukhang hindi pinag-isipan ng gumawa nito.
Mali-mali po ang sked na ‘to kaya idouble check nyo.
Edgar J. => ang bobo mo naman, gumamit ka nga ng kalendaryo bakit hindi mo pa ginamit ang utak mo. Syempre holiday din Dec 30 noh. Sayang at nahuli ng isang araw ang link na inilagay at hindi ka na sana nagpakapagod pang tumingin sa kalendaryo mo.
Matanong ko lang kung may confirmation na kung kailan ang pagtatapos ng Eid’l Fitr. Kasi may mga schools na naglalagay sa kanilang diary na Sep. 30. Confirmed na ba ito?
November 1 falls on Saturday, its really hard to travel going province. Is October 31 a holiday?
it was just declared that 31 and november 3 was declared holiday
hi gusto ko po lang itanong ung toto ba ung sinabi ni anthmy taberna sa UKG na holiday daw po from dec 24, 2008 hanggang jan 1. is this true. i am going home to phils kasi and i wanted to know if the banks will be open for transaction and some private companies will be open dahil sobrang haba naman yata ng holiday n ayun. please advice lang po. rom an OFW thank u
is dec 24 to jan 1 an official holiday? anthony taberna mentione dit in his show UKGthismorning. pls advice if correct, ang haba naman yata nun, pano na lang ang private companies ganun din or sa public offices lang, pls enlighten. thank u
Please confirm if Dec 24-Jan 1 an official holiday. We work in a private company..we are CONFUSED!!!
Dec 25-Jan1 has already been declared as hiloday as per Presidential proclamation signed by PGMA.
i guess its the priv company’s prerogative to declare dec 24 and Jan2 as a holiday.
my professor said that there’ll be no classes for 2 mondays this november, is it true?
Kindly confirmed if december 24 and january 2 is a special non-working holidays. kasi nmn po private company kami ngwowork nakaklito ksi december 25-january 1 already declared so please paki confirmed lang po.
Isn’t December 8 a holiday?? Its Emaculate concpcion, right? I’m wondering why this holy day was not placed in the holiday schedule??
Need ASAP reply….??
is dec.24 a holiday for go’vt employees?
Is jan.2 a special holiday? I am a private employee.
May naibalita raw na walang pasok sa darating na December 24,2008 at January 02,2009. May katotohanan po ba ito? Salamat
legally, christmas vacation/holiday will start from december 25 up to january 1, 2009 only…
there are some private and government employees having work on the 24th of december [halfday or whole day]. aslo, in the case of january 2, it’s up to the employer if it will declared it as special non-working day.
for public and private schools, classes will resume on the 5th day of january next year.
me too, wanna have longer vacation… but it also depends to my employer…
kindly declare lang agad kung may pasok ng december 24 and january 2 ng hindi kami nalilito….
january 2,2009 ba nadeclared as holiday?
This last Christmas break in the Philippines was a blast for those who are salaried, but a bummer for the daily worker. Here?s what happened:
Christmas Day (25th) was on a Thursday, so Friday (26th) was declared a ?special non-working holiday? (SNWH). Rizal Day (30th) fell on a Tuesday, so Monday (29th) was declared another SNWH. New Year?s Day was on another Thursday, so Wednesday (31st) and Friday (January 2, 2009) were declared SNWHs as well.
The result was that except for the big malls and grocery stores, the country was practically shut down from December 25, 2008 through January 2, 2009. This stands out as another Philippine oddity: most people have lost their respect for holidays, even religious ones; malls open half-day even on Christmas Day and New Year.
The total official holidays for 2008 was 15 days: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, April 9 (Fall of Bataan), Labor Day (May 1), Independence Day (June 9, moved from June 12), Ninoy Aquino Day (August 21), National Heroes Day (August 25), All Saints? Day (November 1), Bonifacio Day (December 1, moved from November 30), Christmas Day, Rizal Day, plus December 26, 29, 31 and the end of Ramadan. In addition, the poor daily workers lost a few days due to typhoons.
Here?s what I propose to minimize the number of holidays, to increase productivity:
Eliminate these holidays: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Fall of Bataan, Rizal Day.
Grounds: These three holidays only accentuate the Filipino sentimental, melodramatic and defeatist culture. The death and resurrection of Christ should be celebrated together on Easter Sunday and on every Lord?s Day. And why celebrate the surrender of Bataan (and formerly of Corregidor) and the execution of the national hero?
Combine these holidays into one day: Bonifacio Day (birthday – November 30) and Ninoy Aquino Day (birthday – November 27) should be combined into a National Heroes Day (to be celebrated on the last Monday in November); Independence Day and Rizal Day (June 12)
Grounds: These holidays are so close together they should be combined. And what better way is there to celebrate the national hero than celebrating his birthday on the nation?s independence day?
Eliminate Ninoy Aquino Day on August 21 and replace it with a ?Philippine Revolution Day.?
Grounds: Since Aquino?s birthday will be celebrated together with Bonifacio?s birthday on the last Monday in November, there is no need for another Ninoy Aquino Day. I propose instead a ?Philippine Revolution Day? on the last Monday in August to commemorate the start of the Philippine Revolution with the Cry of Pugadlawin on August 23, 1896. This holiday would inculcate something that is lacking in the Filipino consciousness: the rich heritage of the Philippine Revolution.
Bottom line, the following is my suggested 9-day holiday schedule, assuming that Rizal Day is still celebrated, a huge improvement from the 15 holidays in 2008:
New Year (January 1)
Labor Day (May 1)
Independence Day (June 12)
Rizal Day (3rd Monday in June)
Philippine Revolution Day (last Monday in August)
End of Ramadan (variable)
All Saints? Day (November 1)
National Heroes Day (last Monday in November)
Christmas (December 25)
And here are a few other food for thought:
* Why not move Independence Day to January 21, to celebrate the real inauguration of the First Philippine Republic by the First Philippine Congress in Malolos, Bulacan in 1899? We can cite as a parallel to this the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress of the United States on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence read on June 12, 1898 in Kawit, Cavite, on the other hand, was written by a single individual, and signed by 98 individuals, not ratified by a congress in session.
* I?m also for changing the national hero from Rizal to Bonifacio. Rizal may be a genius and a reformer, but he was not a leader of the Philippine Revolution. I do not know of any country in the world that has for its national hero one who was adamantly against a revolution for independence. He disowned it in a manifesto, ?From the very beginning, when I first had notice of what was being planned, I opposed it, fought it, and demonstrated its absolute impossibility.? The case could be made that he was a traitor to his countrymen during the last days of his life, when he volunteered to serve as a doctor in the Spanish army in Cuba to avoid being implicated in the revolution. His move was in vain, because he was nevertheless implicated and arrested on his way to Cuba, taken back to Manila, and executed.
* However, if his execution is to be ?celebrated,? it could be held on January 1, since it is very close to New Year?s Day.
* The Balintawak Monument should be renovated to make it at least as beautiful, dignified and signified as the Rizal Monument at the Luneta Park.
* Finally, the most dimwitted holiday of all was when the Independence Day holiday was moved to June 9, Monday, because June 12, the real day, fell on a Thursday! In the U. S., there would be a revolution if, for example, the Independence Day holiday in 2007 was moved from July 4th (Wednesday) to July 2nd (Monday).
so what’s final, Jan. 2, 2009 was an official non-working holiday? what was the legal basis or authority?