December 8 declared a national holiday
December 8 is now officially a holiday in the Philippines, adding to the already long list of holidays in the county.
Republic Act No. 10966, the act declaring December 8 of every year as a holiday, was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte last December 28, 2017. Authored by House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, the bill was first approved by Congress in May last year and was passed in the Senate in December.
The bill will take effect 15 days after it is published in the Official Gazette of the Philippines, which means that December 8 of this year will already be a special non-working holiday for the public and private sectors.
In consideration of the Philippines as a predominantly Catholic nation, the date which commemorates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception has been declared a holiday to let devotees fulfill their religious obligation and attend church services.
After the declaration, Philippines now has a total of 19 public holidays, making it the second country with the most number of holidays following India with 21.
