There’s a long weekend coming up on August 23, 24, and 25.
August 25 is a Monday and the Philippines’ National Heroes Day. It’s a regular holiday, so if you’re giving your Filipino VAs paid time off during Philippine holidays, expect them to be off on that day.
But… there’s something that could happen in the next few days that might make that long weekend even longer.
Remember how I mentioned that the Philippine government tends to schedule holidays relatively late?
There’s a special holiday called Ninoy Aquino Day, observed on August 21 (Thursday), which may or may not be declared a regular holiday, depending on the current President’s response.
The current Philippine president, Bongbong Marcos Jr, has a complicated relationship with that day.
Ninoy Aquino was one of the leading figures in the revolution that led to the eventual ouster of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., Bongbong’s father.
Most Filipinos believe that it was the Marcos family behind Ninoy Aquino’s assassination. The family has always denied this, but considering how oppressive Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s regime was and their history of silencing critics, most Filipinos don’t believe that.
So, the current president, Bongbong, is now in a difficult situation.
Not acknowledging Aug 21 as a holiday would anger many Filipinos. It would seem like he’s trying to erase history and cover up the crimes of his father.
But at the same time, that history is painful for him. Bongbong was 18 when his father declared martial law in the Philippines, and a young adult when they were exiled from the country.
So yeah, there’s a long weekend on August 23, 24, and 25. It could be longer. Let’s see what happens next.
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John