ABELLANOSA
Aside from being a day of romance, Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, will also become a special working holiday and a day for families if a bill at the House of Representatives will be made into law.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City South District), proposes to declare every Feb. 14 of the year as the National Family Day and a special working holiday.
“Through the bill, I wish to grab the limelight from the Feb. 14 tradition as a day for romantic love into a day for family love,” he said.
Abellanosa submitted the bill to the House last Jan. 25 and it had already passed first reading.
“The National Family Day celebration aims to institutionalize activities in schools, barangays, communities, local government units, across various sectors, in order to strengthen the family bond as an effective means to combat the illegal drugs menace,” Abellanosa said in a statement.
The one-page bill also mandates government agencies including the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and local government units to prepare and adopt policies for the observance of the National Family Day.
Abellanosa also said that as the “nucleus of civilization,” families should be able to foster good relationships among its members.