It is important to commemorate the days which have a significant part in our history. These days serve as a reminder to the present generation what took place during these dates. In the Philippines, public holidays are categorized into two types: regular holidays and special non-working days. These two types of holidays are specified in the Labor Code of the Philippines as there is a difference in terms of pay which the employers need to observe. Employees are entitled to a paid day off for the 14 regular holidays while those under “special non-working” days do not qualify for holiday pay. In addition to this, based on the Labor Law, an employee who rendered work during regular holidays is entitled to twice their daily wage while those who work during “special non-working” days are eligible for one and one-third of their daily wage.

 

Some of the holidays are to commemorate our Filipino heroes while some are based on religious beliefs.

 

As published in Wikipedia, one of the biggest and most celebrated holidays in the Philippines is Christmas (December 25).  Filipinos from all over the world mark September 1 as the start of the “Ber Months”. This is also the beginning of the Christmas countdown.

 

The government established Eid’l Fitr as a regular holiday to honor our country’s Islamic heritage. Muslim Filipinos comprise about six percent of the population as published in officeholidays.com. 

 

Below is the list of 2021 Philippine Holidays (source: rappler.com)

 

Regular Holidays:

  • January 1, 2021 – New Year’s Day
  • April 1, 2021 – Maundy Thursday
  • April 2, 2021 – Good Friday
  • April 9, 2021 – Araw ng Kagitingan
  • May 1, 2021 – Labor Day
  • May 13, 2021 – Eid’l Fitr
  • June 12, 2021 – Independence Day
  • August 30, 2021 – National Heroes’ Day
  • November 30, 2021 – Bonifacio Day
  • December 25, 2021 – Christmas Day
  • December 30, 2021 – Rizal Day

 

Special Non-Working Days:

  • February 12, 2021 – Chinese New Year
  • February 25, 2021 – EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary
  • April 3, 2021 – Black Saturday
  • August 21, 2021 – Ninoy Aquino Day
  • November 1, 2021 – All Saints’ Day
  • December 8, 2021 – Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

 

Special Working Days – to recover from the adverse economic impact of Covid-19:

  • November 2, 2021 – All Souls’ Day
  • December 24, 2021 – Christmas Eve
  • December 31, 2021 – last day of the year