Nov 7 holiday for Festival of Sacrifice

CEBU, Philippines - Malacañang has declared November 7, a Monday, as a regular holiday to celebrate the Eid’l Adha or the “Festival of Sacrifice” for Muslims.

President Benigno Aquino III signed Proclamation No. 276 last October 20.

The proclamation says national holidays for the end of Ramadan or the Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha are issued after the approximate dates of the Islamic holidays have been determined in accordance with the Islamic calendar (Hijra) or the lunar calendar, or upon Islamic astronomical calculations, whichever is possible or convenient.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-7 Regional Director Exequiel Sarcauga yesterday reminded employers to observe and implement appropriate holiday pay wages.

“It’s a holiday. We just want to remind the employers to abide by the pay rules for the holiday,” Sarcauga told The FREEMAN.

A DOLE advisory says that “for November 7, the correct pay rules to be observed include, if the holiday falls on an employee’s regular workday and he or she worked, the employee is entitled to 200 percent of his basic wage on the first eight hours.”

For work in excess of the eight hours, the employee is entitled to an additional 30 percent of his or her hourly rate on the said day.

If unworked, the employee is entitled to 100 percent of the regular daily rate, provided he was present, or was on leave with pay, on the workday immediately preceding the holiday.

If the day is the employee’s rest day and the day is worked, he or she is entitled to 260 percent of his or her daily rate on the first eight hours, plus 30 percent for work in excess of eight hours on the said day. - THE FREEMAN