MANILA —In an earnest effort to make room for tourism, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. moved the celebration of Ninoy Aquino Day from August 21 to August 23, creating a longer weekend for working Filipinos to take a break with their families elsewhere.
The amendment to the country’s holiday list was made official via Proclamation No. 665, which states that the date is shifted “to provide a longer weekend thereby promoting tourism,” while maintaining the “historical significance” of the event.
“Now, therefore, I, Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare Friday, 23 August 2024, as a special (non-working) day throughout the country,” the proclamation reads.
Ninoy Aquino Day commemorates the life and sacrifice of the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was assassinated on August 21, 1983, at what was then referred to as the Manila International Airport.
Aquino was a prominent opposition leader during the regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos, the current president’s father.
Republic Act No. 9492 allows the date of Ninoy Aquino Day to be moved to the Monday nearest August 21 through a law or proclamation. An earlier proclamation had declared August 21, 2024, as Ninoy Aquino Day, a special non-working holiday.
The Department of Labor and Employment has been directed to issue the appropriate circular to implement the proclamation for the private sector. (GLG/PIA-NCR)
