The Chinese community in the Philippines will celebrate their annual Spring Festival, which is usually referred to as the Chinese New Year, this coming February 16.
Chinese New Year is a special non-working holiday nationwide as mandated by President Rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation 269, which he signed last July 2017. It is the first nationwide special-non working holiday this 2018. The holiday will give Filipinos a three-day weekend since it falls on Friday.
In making the holiday proclamation, Duterte noted that the Spring Festival is “one of the most revered and festive events celebrated not only in China but also in the Philippines by both Chinese-Filipinos and ordinary Filipinos as well.”
February 16 2018 is a special non-working holiday nationwide to give way for the celebration of Chinese New Year 2018 (Credits: www.chinesenewyear2018.com)
Chinese New Year was first declared a non-working holiday in 2012 and it now stands as one of the legacies of former President Aquino, who has Chinese ancestry from his mother’s side.
According to the Department of Labor and Employment’s Handbook on Workers’ Statutory Monetary Benefits (2017 edition), the “no work, no pay” principle is applied during special non-working holidays.
This means that workers who are not required to work during this day are not entitled to any compensation. This, however, is without prejudice to any voluntary practice or provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the employer and the employees.
