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The last days of November this year was supposed to give the Filipino employees a five-day weekend with November 27 and 28 declared as national holidays based on the Proclamation 1808 issued earlier this year. The said national holidays was supposed to be in celebration of the Muslim feast of Eid’l Adha.

However, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued last Monday Proclamation No. 1808-A, which amends the original proclamation of the two days as national holidays. Arroyo cited the provisions of Republic Act 9492 or the law rationalizing the country’s holidays, which states that Eid’l Adha shall be celebrated as a regional holiday in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In her original proclamation, the President declared that the great feast of our Muslim brothers should be given equal treatment and importance as the ones celebrated by the Christians like Christmas Day, Easter Sunday and All Saints’ Day. However, Arroyo was advised that as per RA 9492, Eid’l Adha was specifically stated as a regional holiday in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

RA 9492 grants powers to the President to move the dates of certain holidays to either the nearest Friday or Monday in order to allow the employees to spend more time with their families. It also allows the President to declare special non-working holidays.

But some holidays have fixed dates, and others, like the Eid’l Adha, were specifically meant to be celebrated only in a region.

This brings bad news to those who have already made plans for the supposed to be long weekend on the last part of this part. Still, in spite of the declaration, employees still gets to enjoy a longer weekend with November 30, Monday, a national holiday for the commemoration of the birthday of our hero Andres Bonifacio.