2 long holiday weekends await Pinoys this month

Manila, Philippines -  Filipinos can enjoy a long four-day weekend later this week after two consecutive holidays have coincided – the previous Aug. 21 (Tuesday) special non-working holiday and the recent Aug. 20 (Monday) regular holiday that President Aquino declared.

Also, another regular holiday this month is Aug. 27, which is celebrated as National Heroes’ Day and falls on the last Monday of the month.

Thus, it will be another long weekend – from Aug. 25 (Saturday) to Aug. 27 (Monday).

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters that Aquino signed yesterday Proclamation 455 “declaring Aug. 20 as regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid’l Fitr,” or the Muslim community’s feast of Ramadan.

While the date was not specifically set in the calendar of holidays for 2012 when Aquino issued the proclamation in December 2011, Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha will have to be accommodated based on the Islamic calendar as per Proclamation 295.

The start and end of Ramadan, it stated, shall be issued “after the approximate dates of the Islamic holidays have been determined in accordance with the Islamic calendar (Hijra).”

Proclamation 295 lists the holidays for 2012.

Consequently, Aug. 21 – the 29th death anniversary of Aquino’s martyred father Sen. Ninoy Aquino – was already listed in Proclamation 295 as falling in the category of “special non-working holiday.”

The celebration and declaration as holiday of Eid’l Fitr are provided for in Republic Act 9177.

In declaring the holiday, Aquino issued Proclamation 455 which promotes “cultural understanding and integration” where Filipinos can join “their Muslim brothers and sisters” in the observance and celebration of the feast of Ramadan.