PROS AND CONS OF NON-WORKING HOLIDAYS

PROS AND CONS OF NON-WORKING HOLIDAYS

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not against the many non-working holidays in the Philippines. They have their place. But here’s the question I keep coming back to: Do we have too many non-working holidays?

It’s easy for our government to proclaim another “non-working holiday.” A long weekend here, a commemorative date there. But are these decisions backed up by solid economic studies? I’m not protesting—just asking. And in fact, I’m far more pro-economy and pro-consumer than anti-holiday.

The appeal of non-working holidays

There are real benefits:

  • Rest and Recovery – Holidays give workers a break. A day off matters. It helps reduce burnout, improves morale, and might even boost productivity when they return.

  • Cultural and Historical Recognition – Many of these days commemorate events of national importance: heroes, tragedies, religious observances. That lends meaning, identity, collective memory.

  • Premium Pay for Some – For employees who work on non-working holidays, the extra pay (for example +30% or more) can be a welcome bonus.

  • Boost to Tourism and Retail – Long weekends spark domestic travel, spending on food, leisure, accommodation. The government argues this helps the economy. For example, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development(DEPDEV) said the Oct. 30, Nov. 1–2 holidays would boost local tourism.

The flip side

But—and yes, there is a but—there are drawbacks:

  • Reduced Productivity – Business gets paused. Especially sectors like manufacturing, logistics or services with continuous operations. Employers may face downtime, delayed deadlines.

  • Cost and Confusion – For companies that do open, there’s increased labour cost. For example, one study cited that extra paid holidays for the BPO industry cost approximately ₱750 million per day.


  • Daily-Wage Workers Lose Out – “No work, no pay” applies to many on special non-working days. So a declared holiday can mean a lost wage for someone already vulnerable.

  • Competitiveness Impact – The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) have flagged that our number of holidays is high by regional standards and could discourage investors. 

  • Service Disruption – Government offices, banks, public services may halt operations. For ordinary citizens needing access to services, the holiday can mean waiting.

A Philippine snapshot

Let’s look at some context:

  • In the Philippines, national holidays consist of regular holidays (employees get full pay even if they don’t report) and special non-working holidays (often “no work, no pay” if you don’t report).


  • According to official Senate data: for 2024 there are 12 regular holidays and 9 special non-working holidays—a total of 21 national days.


  • The PCCI counted “about 27 holidays a year” when you include additional proclamations and local holidays.

So yes: many long weekends, many break days. And one can ask: if we have so many, is the balance still healthy?

My thoughts and questions

  • Should there be a ceiling on non-working holidays declared by proclamation (not by law)? Maybe a limit so the business environment can plan.

  • What about daily wage workers? While salaried employees may get the break or premium pay, daily-waged folks may lose income. Are we protecting the most vulnerable?

  • Could some commemorative days be special working holidays instead of full non-working ones? That might allow the observance while keeping business rolling.

  • Are economic and productivity studies done before proclaiming more holidays? The NEDA and business groups say it should be. In 2018, business groups complain that every additional holiday costs the BPO industry hundreds of millions

  • Should we localise holidays more? Perhaps recognising certain days in specific regions rather than nationwide non-working days—so that not everyone pauses all at once. The ECOP has suggested combining or localising some.

Suggestions for a balanced approach

  • Review the holiday calendar: Set an annual cap on additional non-working holidays beyond the fixed ones.

  • Differentiate holiday types more clearly: Make sure companies and workers know whether a day is “regular holiday”, “special non-working holiday”, or “special working holiday”. Clarity reduces disputes.

  • Protect vulnerable workers: For daily-waged workers, consider guaranteeing income or offering alternative days off so they’re not unintentionally disadvantaged.

  • Tie holidays to economic boosters: Use non-working holidays strategically in tourism or events (especially local ones) where the economic benefit outweighs the productivity loss.

  • Publish impact assessments: Before adding a holiday, have the government or NEDA publish a brief on foreseen labour, cost and productivity impacts.

  • Promote optional work: Companies that must operate (banks, logistics, manufacturing) should have the option for staff to work on these days and earn premium pay—but it shouldn’t be mandatory for everyone remaining closed.

Holidays are more than days off—they reflect our culture, our history, our national rhythms. They matter. But they also matter economically. We must ask: Are we celebrating so much that we undermine productivity? Are the benefits evenly distributed? Are we mindful of daily-wage workers, investors, service providers, ordinary Filipinos who count the working day as income?

I’m not saying cut all holidays. Far from it. But paying attention—really planning—can help us have the best of both worlds: cultural observance and a robust economy that works for everyone. Because if we’re pro-holiday and pro-economy, then we must ask the tough questions and strive for the right balance.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres

iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com 03-28-2026

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOW IS THE CRIME RATE COMPUTED IN THE PHILIPPINES?

HOW IS THE CRIME RATE COMPUTED IN THE PHILIPPINES? When we talk about the crime rate in the Philippines, we often assume that the figures we see are accurate reflections of reality. But have we ever paused to ask—how exactly is the crime rate computed? Where does this data come from, and how reliable is it? The computation of the crime rate in the Philippines is officially handled by the Philippine National Police (PNP). The formula itself is straightforward: Crime Rate = (Total Reported Crimes / Total Population) x 100,000 This simple equation gives us the number of crimes per 100,000 people, allowing for fair comparison across regions and time periods. However, the reality behind these numbers is more complex than it appears. Data from the Ground The foundation of our national crime rate is empirical data collected at the grassroots level—from individual police stations scattered across the country. Every reported crime is logged in local police blotters, forming the buil...
Read more

GREY AREAS IN GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS

GREY AREAS IN GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS Dear Mr. President: May I ask who is going to be the arbiter or referee whenever there are overlaps in functions between two or more government agencies? I imagine that there would be no problem if these agencies would just cooperate and collaborate with each other, but what if they are unable to settle their differences and they would just end up throwing blame at each other or finger pointing at each other? Allow me to cite some examples. Who is supposed to take the lead in waste to energy projects? Is it supposed to be the DENR that is supposed to handle waste? Or is it supposed to be the DOE that is supposed to handle energy generation? Or is it supposed to be the DILG since it is the one that could direct or influence the waste to energy projects of LGUs? Who is supposed to take the lead in producing and promoting the use of biofuels? Is it supposed to be the DA, since the production of biofuels is supposed to be all about planting biofuel ...
Read more

LOCALIZED FREE AMBULANCE SERVICES

LOCALIZED FREE AMBULANCE SERVICES As it is supposed to be, anyone in the Philippines should be able to dial 911, and a telephone operator should be able to dispatch fire, rescue, ambulance and police (FRAP) units as soon as possible, based on acceptable response times. I invented the FRAP acronym for easy recall, and I hope it sticks, if there is no other alternative. Unfortunately, due to a mixture of technical and political reasons, the Philippines has not adopted 911 as a national number, because some LGUs would rather use their own three-digit numbers such as 117 and 168. I actually proposed a technical solution to that problem, but it was not adopted either. For whatever it is worth, my solution is to install a call forwarding system that could route all calls to a central operator, regardless of what number is dialed. It is very sad for me to know that up to now, even if our country is already over one hundred years old, there are still many LGUs that do not have fire trucks. it ...
Read more