In the Philippines, there’s a regular holiday, the Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan), which commemorates the fall of Bataan to Japanese troops in World War 2. This holiday is always celebrated on April 9. This year, it falls on a Tuesday.
Normally, a one-off holiday on a Tuesday isn’t going to cause people to ask for vacation leave for the day before. What makes the second week of April possibly a long weekend is the Islamic holiday of Eidul-Fitr, or the end of Ramadan.
The Philippine government hasn’t announced it yet because there’s this process where they have to wait for confirmation. But Eidul-Fitr is estimated to be on April 10, 2024. If the Philippine government declares April 10 a regular holiday, those two holidays will be back-to-back.
If this happens, your OFS might ask for a leave for April 8-10, especially if they’re practicing Muslims.
Eidul-Fitr is a big deal because it marks the end of Ramadan, a long fast. People pray together, feast, and attend open-air festivals on this day. For kids, it’s like Christmas because they get gifts, new clothes, and money.
In Manila, where there’s a big Muslim community, it has become a tradition for Muslims to go to Rizal Park at dawn to pray together. Most places in Mindanao will also have these prayer gatherings.
This isn’t for sure yet because the government hasn’t declared it, but I thought you should be aware. The long weekend would be April 6-10. That’s a long time.
When they formally declare the holiday I’ll let you know and let you know the implications.
John