LAITATUL ISRA WAL MI’RAJ – February 8 2024 declared holiday in parts of Mindanao
Muslim Filipinos will be joining their brothers and sisters all over the world in celebrating Laitatul Isra Wal Mi’raj or the Prophet Muhammad’s nighttime journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, where he then ascended to heaven, this 8 February 2024, Thursday.
The said religious occassion falls on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh lunar month of Rajab according to the Islamic calendar. However, there are conflicting announcements if February 8 is a special non-working holiday or not.
The office of Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has issued Proclamation #5 last December 2023 where Laitatul Isra Wal Mi’raj is only listed as a special working holiday.
For its part, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) has reiterated through its social media platforms that Laitatul Isra Wal Mi’raj is one of the five Muslim holidays observed in the Philippines as listed in Article 169 of Presidential Decree 1083 or the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines. It was signed in 1977 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos.
PD 1083 specifically covers the areas listed below. It is worth pointing out that according to Article 172 of PD 1083, all Muslim government officials and employees working anywhere in the Philippines are excused from reporting for work during recognized Islamic Holidays.
Provinces
1) Basilan
2) Lanao del Norte
3) Lanao del Sur
4) Maguindanao
5) North Cotabato
6) Sultan Kudarat
7) Sulu
8) Tawi-Tawi
9) Zamboanga del Norte
10) Zamboanga del Sur
Cities
1) Cotabato City
2) Iligan City
3) Marawi City
4) Pagadian City
5) Zamboanga
Pay Rules for the Laitatul Isra Wal Mi’raj holiday – February 8, 2024
According to the 2023_edition of Department and Labor and Employment’s (DOLE)_Handbook_on_Workers_Statutory_Monetary Benefits, the “no work, no pay” principle should be in effect during special non-working holidays like this year’s celebration of Laitatul Isra Wal Mi’raj.
This means that workers who are not required or permitted to work in the aforementioned areas in Mindanao on February 8 are not due to receive any compensation unless there is a collective bargaining agreement or a company policy that implements that.
The handbook likewise highlighted that employees who work during special non-working days are entitled to receive an additional pay of 30% for every hour that they render service.
LIKE THE FILIPINO SCRIBE ON FACEBOOK!
About Author
