No plans to lessen Philippine holidays — Escudero

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero on Monday said there are no plans to lessen the holidays following the online uproar his previous comments stirred. 

Escudero last Wednesday floated the possibility of combining or lessening the holidays, saying there were already too many. He said that it was making the Philippines less productive. 

“Walang issue sa holiday. Ang polisiya ng Senado: ‘wag ng dagdagan ang holiday natin ngayon kasi sobrang dami na pero wala kami balak bawasan,” Escudero said in a media interview at the Senate. 

(There is no issue about holidays. The policy of the Senate is this: do not add to our holidays now because there are so many, but we have no plans to lessen it.) 

Escudero acknowledged that it would be a long and drawn out process that would outlast the 19th Congress.

He cited that there are 21 national holidays, on top of provincial and municipal holidays. This brings up the holidays a person could experience from 23 to 25 holidays. 

“We’re granting holidays in provinces that don’t have a holiday yet pero kung mayroon na, ‘wag na nga dagdagan,” said Escudero. (We’re granting holidays in provinces that don’t have a holiday yet, but if there is, we will not any.) 

According to Escudero, the Senate had to deliberate three holiday bills on that day alone. They had to reject one provincial holiday, as the said province already had two. 

Holiday economics is also being considered, as the president could choose to declare a holiday on days that are sandwiched between a holiday and the weekend. This would allow more people to schedule trips and vacations.   

Escudero earned the ire of netizens when his comments on holidays went viral on news agencies’ reports. Many pointed out that there were better ways to make Filipinos more productive and competitive, while some said that the Senate itself took breaks between sessions. 

“Yung holiday nagkasundo ang senado na limitahin and holiday. Mahigit isang buwan na ang holiday sa buong bansa, which makes Philippine companies and workers less competitive,” Escudero said last week. (The holidays, the Senate agreed to limit the holidays. Holidays take up more than one month in the country, which makes Philippine companies and workers less competitive.)