On August 16, 2016, the Proclamation No. 50 by the President of the Philippines contains the declaration of the regular holidays and special (non-working) days for the year 2017.

October 31, 2017, a nationwide special non-working holiday

According to the proclamation, October 31 was declared a holiday to “strengthen family ties” and give the public more time to prepare for All Saints Day (observed in the Philippines as All Souls Day), as well as “promote domestic tourism.”

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For the detailed content of the Proclamation No. 50, please see below:

WHEREAS, Republic Act (RA) No. 9422, dated 24 July 2007, amended Section 26, Chapter 7, Book I of Executive Order (EO) No. 292, also known as the Administrative Code of 1987, by declaring certain days (specific or movable) as special or regular holidays;

WHEREAS, RA No. 9492 provides that holidays, except those which are religious in nature, are moved to the nearest Monday unless otherwise modified by law, order or proclamation;

WHEREAS, RA No. 9849 dated 11 December 2009, provides that the Eidul Adha shall be celebrated as a national holiday;

WHEREAS, on 28 January 2017, Chinese nationals all over the world will celebrate Spring Festival, popularly known as Chinese New Year, which is one of the most revered and festive events celebrated not only in China but also in the Philippines, and such date may be declared as a special (non-working) day without detriment to public interest;

WHEREAS, on 25 February 2017, the country will commemorate the 31st Anniversary of EDSA People Power Revolution, which restored and ushered political, social and economic reforms in the country;

WHEREAS, Black Saturday, which falls on 15 April 2017, has been traditionally declared a special (non-working) day throughout the country, the observance of Holy Week being one of the most cherished traditions of our predominantly Catholic people;

WHEREAS, declaring 31 October 2017 (Tuesday), as an additional special (non-working) day throughout the country will strengthen family ties by providing more time for the traditional All Saints’ Day commemorative activities; and will promote domestic tourism as well;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution as President of the Philippines, do hereby declare:

SECTION 1. The following regular holidays and special days for the year 2017 shall be observed in the country:

A. Regular Holidays

New Year’s Day – 1 January (Sunday)
Araw ng Kagitingan – 9 April (Sunday)
Maundy Thursday – 13 April
Good Friday – 14 April
Labor Day – 1 May (Monday)
Independence Day – 12 June (Monday)
National Heroes Day – 28 August (Last Monday of August)
Bonifacio Day – 30 November (Thursday)
Christmas Day – 25 December (Monday)
Rizal Day – 30 December (Saturday)

B. Special (Non-Working) Days

Chinese New Year – 28 January (Saturday)
EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary – 25 February (Saturday)
Black Saturday – 15 April
Ninoy Aquino Day – 21 August (Monday)
All Saints Day – 1 November (Wednesday)
Last Day of the Year- 31 December (Sunday)
Additional special (non-working) day – 31 October (Tuesday)

SECTION 2. The proclamations declaring national holidays for the observance of Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha shall hereafter be issued after the approximate dates of the Islamic holidays have been [determined] in accordance with the Islamic calendar (Hijra) or the lunar calendar, or upon Islamic astronomical calculations, whichever is possible or convenient. To this end, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) shall inform the Office of the President [of] the actual dates on which these holidays shall respectively fall.

SECTION 3. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shall promulgate the implementing guidelines for this Proclamation

SECTION 4. This Proclamation shall take effect immediately.

SECTION 5. This Proclamation shall be published in a newspaper or general circulation.

IN THE WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 16th day of August in the year of Our Lord, two thousand and sixteen.

By authority of the President:

(Sgd.) SALVADOR C. MEDIALDEA
Executive Secretary

To know more about the list of Philippine holidays in 2017 and declaring October 31 as an additional special non-working holiday, read an article about the Proclamation No. 50 from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) website.

You can also download the PDF copy of the Proclamation No. 50 by clicking this link.