The national government is studying the possibility of declaring the duration of the papal visit a holiday.
A member of the Papal Visit Central Committee said a declaration would likely be adopted considering that the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1995 had also been a holiday.
“We are seriously considering [the possibility] and in due time we will announce if there is going to be holidays on those days,” Marciano Paynor Jr., a former ambassador to Israel, was quoted saying by the Catholic Church-run Radyo Veritas.
“When John Paul II came here a holiday period had also been declared … It is under very serious and close study,” he added.
Manila Mayor Joseph E. Estrada already announced a five-day, non-working holiday in Manila for Pope Francis’ visit from Jan. 15 to 19.
In an executive order, Estrada declared the suspension of classes and a holiday in all city government offices during the papal visit.
The holiday declaration aims to avoid the build up of heavy traffic which will affect businesses and jobs, a report posted yesterday on the website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said.
A non-working period will enable Catholics who may want to take part in any of the papal activities to do so, the report added.
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