4-day weekend as Marcos moves Ninoy Aquino Day to August 23

By: Zacarian Sarao - Inquirer.net | August 15,2024 - 10:43 PM

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has moved the observance of Ninoy Aquino Day, shifting it from Wednesday, August 21, to Friday, August 23.

Marcos made the move in issuing Proclamation No. 665, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Friday.

“In order to provide for a longer weekend thereby promoting domestic tourism, the celebration of Ninoy Aquino Day may be moved from 21 August 2024 (Wednesday) to 23 August 2024 (Friday), provided that the historical significance of Ninoy Aquino Day is maintained,” Marcos said through the proclamation.

Marcos then directed the Department of Labor and Employment to issue the appropriate circular to implement the proclamation for the private sector.

With August 26 (Monday) being a regular non-working holiday for National Heroes’ Day, the public can now enjoy a four-day weekend.

August 21 was declared as Ninoy Aquino Day to commemorate the assassination of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., the husband of Corazon Aquino, who later became the 11th President of the Philippines.

Ninoy Aquino Day was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Feb. 25, 2004. Aquino was murdered upon his arrival in Manila, after three years of exile in the United States, on Aug. 21, 1983.

The death of Aquino, the leader of the opposition to Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was a turning point in the strongman’s rule, leading to his ouster in the Edsa People Power Revolution three years later on Feb. 25.