Holidays, who doesn’t love it? Every time I worked in the office, I always marked my calendar when there are holidays; I also put it on my phone too. Holidays, especially the longs ones where it’s on a Monday or a Friday are a great opportunity to travel. No more writing a leave form to your superior to go wherever or have a reason to go to the province or another place without asking for someone’s permission.
Filipinos love the Philippine holidays, as it will give us rest and a time to spend with our families or to travel anywhere. So, if you are a foreigner reading this, I want to advise you not to travel on holiday in the Philippines; it’s going to be crowded unless you like the buzz.
Also during these Philippine holidays, many malls, online shops, and airlines will have sales, so watch out for that!
Since the year is almost done, ready your calendars for this list of Philippines Holidays in 2020, though no proclamation has been published in the Official Gazette yet; we will predict it according to the last year’s proclamation and update this one when it is already published.
Table of Contents
Here is the list of Philippine Holidays in 2020:
A. Regular Holidays
| New Year’s Day | January 1 | Wednesday |
| Araw ng Kagitingan | April 9 | Thursday |
| Maundy Thursday | April 9 | Thursday |
| Good Friday | April 10 | Friday |
| Labor Day | May 1 | Friday |
| *Eidul Fitr | May 23 (temporary) | Saturday |
| Independence Day | June 12 | Friday |
| *Eidul Adha | July 30 (temporary) | Thursday |
| National Heroes Day | August 31 (Last Monday) | Monday |
| Bonifacio Day | November 30 | Monday |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | Friday |
| Rizal Day | December 30 | Wednesday |
*There will be an official declaration of Islam Holidays after the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos will inform actual dates to the Office of the President
B. Special (Non-Working Days)
| Chinese New Year | January 25 | Saturday |
| EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary | February 25 | Tuesday |
| Black Saturday | April 11 | Saturday |
| Ninoy Aquino Day | August 21 | Friday |
| All Saint’s Day | November 1 | Sunday |
| Additional Holiday | November 2 | Monday |
| Feast of Immaculate Conception of Mary | December 8 | Tuesday |
| Additional Holiday | December 24 | Thursday |
| Last Day of the Year | December 31 | Thursday |
Here is the summary of the Philippine holidays that are near Saturday or Sundays. The red ones are Regular holidays, the blue ones are Special holiday, and the yellow ones are our suggestions for you to file a leave to go travel! HAHA
If you need explanations for some Philippine holidays, here are the reasons:
Chinese New Year
Why would the Philippines, celebrate Chinese New Year? Chinese-Filipino has been a great and old community in the Philippines, so to celebrate our camaraderie with them, the Chinese New Year has been declared as a Philippine Holiday. See Dragon Dances on Chinatown or Malls or eat tikoy during the Chinese New Year. Also, check your horoscope if you are going to be lucky.
EDSA People Power Revolution
In 1986, the 25th of February, people of the Philippines rallied the streets of EDSA to President Ferdinand Marcos’s rule and reestablished democracy in the Philippines.
Araw ng Kagitingan
In English; the Day of Valor remembers the fall of Bataan in 1942; where Filipino and American soldiers were surrendered to the Japanese troops.
Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha
Both are Muslim celebrations; one celebrates the end of Ramadan, and the other is the day of Sacrifice; where Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his son.
Araw ng Kalayaan
Philippine Independence Day is a celebration on the same day from the Philippines ‘ Independence from Spain in 1898.
Ninoy Aquino Day
Remembering the day when former Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. “Ninoy” got shot or killed as he returned to the Philippines on now what is called to be Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Bonifacio Day
On the birthday of Andres Bonifacio, a national hero of the Philippines is the day Bonifacio day is celebrated. He was an initiator of a secret society that prompted the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1896.
Rizal Day
If Bonifacio’s day was celebrated on his birthday, the Philippine’s National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal celebrates his on the day of his execution.
Things to remember for workers during Philippine holidays:
- On Regular Holidays – even if you don’t work, you will have a whole day pay. If you work on that day, it will be 200%, and overtime is also more than what you regularly receive.
- On Special Holidays – monthly paid workers are also paid on that day and will have an additional 30% if you work. However, for those daily paid workers, it is considered as a no-work, no payday.
- A different percentage will apply if the regular holiday or special holiday falls on your rest day. It will be more than your work rate if you choose to work on that day.
- If you are absent before the holidays, there is a possibility you can’t be paid unless you filed a paid leave. So make sure to submit your leave of absences rather than be AWOL (Absent without Leave.)
Additional Tips for your travels during Philippines Holidays:
- During holidays like Holy Week, All Saints Day and Christmas Season, many people from the provinces will go home; if you are from one then it’s better to reserve a ticket home or file a leave a day earlier to avoid crowds. Piers and Terminals will be filled with people so try to be patient and bring as little as you can to avoid the hassle.
- Holidays mentioned above including summer holidays; April and May are peak seasons. Your spot might be crowded or places are fully-booked. It is better to reserve tickets or hotels earlier.
Remember, the mentioned holidays are National Philippine Holidays meaning they are celebrated in the whole Philippines. Each city, province or town also has additional holidays like Charter Days or Town Fiestas. You can refer to the Official Gazette of the Philippine for those holidays.
So, I hope that with this article with the Philippine Holidays, you already know when to file a leave or what dates to purchase a ticket on. You can check my articles for some itineraries. Have fun in the Philippine Holidays! Happy Travels!
The original content (article & images) is owned by Two Monkeys Travel - Contributor. Visit the site here for other interesting stories.
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