Chiz asks for calm amid ‘holidays’ furor

August 11, 2024 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero asked for calm amid the backlash on the Senate’s plan to limit public holidays in the country.

“All things can be angled in a negative way, but I hope they don’t think of us senators as insensitive people,” Escudero said over radio dwIZ yesterday.

The Senate President said it was just “common sense” not to add more holidays to the already fixed regular and special non-working holidays, such as Holy Week, National Heroes Day, Eid’l Fitr, Labor Day, Independence Day and those commemorating the country’s heroes, martyrs and even saints.

He pointed out that employees’ competitiveness is affected by the almost month-long number of holidays, which also includes holidays in the provinces, cities and towns usually commemorating their founding anniversaries.

Holidays are even extended if they fall near the weekend, allowing workers to get a longer break.

Escudero clarified that the Senate only wanted to limit the passage of more holiday bills, not to remove existing ones.

“The Senate’s policy is not to reduce holidays – just not add to already several holidays and, instead, rationalize the existing holidays so that these would not be a burden to employers forced to give double pay during holidays,” he said.

“Our only aim is to improve the country’s competitiveness,” Escudero said, pointing out that the Philippines has lagged behind other countries in terms of key performances, such as in business process outsourcing.

The Senate’s plan to reduce the number of bills on local and national holidays did not sit well with overworked netizens who, on Twitter, asked senators not to tinker with their holidays, but instead work more and reduce their recess from lawmaking.

The upper chamber has the following legislative breaks during the current third regular session – Sept. 28 to Nov. 3, Dec. 21 to Jan. 12, 2025; Feb. 8 to June 1, 2025 and June 14 to July 27, 2025.

“Why not reduce the recess from session instead?” tweeted journalist Rommel Lopez.

“The Philippines has too many holidays? Well, our Congress and Senate have too many recess(es). Don’t touch our f***ing holidays,” added Twitter user Bryan Reyes.