List of Official Holidays for 2012 in the Philippines

When it comes to holidays, different sectors have different reactions. Most of employees and workers are happy to hear the word “holiday” because it means a break or a rest from their stressful work and more time to spend with their family and loved ones, not to mention the compensation they may get despite of the non-working day. On the other hand, employers and business owners may feel different. This is because holiday means a workplace without workers and a day without business productivity. When there’s no productivity, there would also be no profitability. But holidays are necessary not only to observe important cultural, religious and other national events, but also to protect the welfare of workers and continue giving them the rest they need to stay more productive. For planning purposes, knowing the list of exact days and dates of holidays in the country in the coming year is very important. The Malacañang, through the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno S. Aquino III, declared Proclamation No. 295, declaring the Regular Holidays, Special (Non-working) days, and Special Holiday for the year 2012.

The following regular holidays and special days for the year 2012 shall be observed in the country as stated in the section 1 of the proclamation.

A. Regular Holidays 
New Year’s Day – January 1 (Sunday)
Maundy Thursday – April 5
Good Friday – April 6
Araw ng Kagitingan – April 9 (Monday)
Labor Day – May 1 (Tuesday)
Independence Day – June 12 (Tuesday)
National Heroes Day – August 27 (Last Monday of August)
Bonifacio Day – November 30 (Friday)
Christmas Day – December 25 (Tuesday)
Rizal Day – December 30 (Sunday)

B. Special (Non-Working) Days
Chinese New Year – January 23 (Monday)
Ninoy Aquino Day – August 21 (Tuesday)
All Saints Day – November 1 (Thursday)
Additional special (non-working) day – November 2 (Friday)
Last Day of the Year – December 31 (Monday)

C. Special Holiday (for all schools)          
EDSA Revolution Anniversary – February 25 (Saturday)

Section 2 of the Presidential Proclamation stated that the proclamations declaring national holidays for the observance of Eid’l Fitr and Eidul Adha shall hereafter be 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. To this end, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) shall inform the Office of the President on which day the holiday shall fall. This means that aside from the above list, additional holidays for the observance of Fitr and Eidul Adha will take effect as the exact dates will be determined.

Now that you have the list of the holidays for 2012, don’t forget to mark you calendar and set your plans for the coming year. If you’re planning to have a vacation somewhere else, then you can use the holidays in the list. Finally, don’t forget the reasons why they are remembered and celebrated. Let us consume the holidays the best as we can, whether we are to celebrate them, use them to take a vacation or just use them to continue working.