The Malacañang has officially released the list of official holidays in 2014 last Monday. This is surely a joy to many of us who love to travel and have a great time exploring the country! We could now plan our trips around long weekends and holidays plus avail of great discounts from tour packages and airline tickets by virtue of booking much earlier. Why, you could plan for that Christmas holiday or a November getaway 1 whole year in advance! How cool is that?
Just as it was practiced in recent years, all holidays, except religious ones, are moved to the nearest Monday. To be honest, most of us are looking forward to long weekends brought about by these Monday holidays – and 2014 has 4 long weekends ahead! The long weekends are all-time favorites for exciting getaways, with popular tourist spots often jam-packed with tourists during these dates. You’ll also have to take that into consideration when planning for your vacation.
Regular Holidays
Workers love regular holidays because they get paid the wages they are entitled to receive for the day even if they don’t report for work. For those who are required to work or simply love the additional compensation, regular holidays bring double pay. In some companies wherein employees who are supposed to be on a day off schedule but are required to report on a regular holiday, additional compensation is also expected aside from the double pay they are entitled to.
Take note of the following regular holidays for 2014:
· January 1 (Wednesday) – New Year’s Day
· April 9 (Wednesday) – Araw ng Kagitingan
· April 17 – Maundy Thursday
· April 18 – Good Friday
· May 1 (Thursday) – Labor Day
· June 12 (Thursday) – Independence Day
· August 25 (Monday) – National Heroes Day
· November 30 (Sunday) – Bonifacio Day
· December 25 (Thursday) – Christmas Day
· December 30 (Tuesday) – Rizal Day
Special (Non-Working) Holidays
A lot of workers opt to go on vacation or simply stay at home during special non-working holidays, mostly because these mean lesser compensation than regular holidays. If they don’t report for work, they don’t get paid. If they do report for work, they are not entitled to double (200%) pay but only to 130% of what is due for the day. Thus, special non-working holidays are among the all-time favorites for booking those fun vacations with friends. Explore the country’s exciting destinations.
Take note of the following special non-working holidays in 2014:
· January 31 (Friday) – Chinese New Year
· April 19 – Black Saturday
· August 21 (Thursday) – Ninoy Aquino Day
· November 1 (Saturday) – All Saints Day
· December 24 (Wednesday) – Day before Christmas
· December 26 (Friday) – Day after Christmas
· December 31 (Wednesday) – Last Day of the Year
Special Holidays
There are a number of special holidays observed by the country, the dates are still to be determined or might be limited to a certain locality/group. For instance, dates for Eid’l Fitr and Eidul Adha are often announced when these are drawing near, especially because the observances are dependent on Islamic astronomical calculations, the lunar calendar, or the Islamic calendar (Hijra).
Such special holidays spring a surprise to workers and could prove difficult to predict. So, don’t base your trip calendar on these special holidays.
The following special holiday is the only one with a definite date in 2014:
· February 25 (Tuesday) – EDSA Revolution Anniversary
Be aware, however, that the EDSA Revolution Anniversary has been deemed as a special working holiday. That means that most of us workers are required to go to work but students (and teachers!) across the nation won’t be attending school on that day.
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