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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE RL:PUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session 
S. B. NO. zL 
Prepared and submitted by the Committee on Local Government, with 
Senator Lim as author 
AN ACT 
. AUTHORIZING THE LOCAL SANGGUNIANS TO DECLARE SPECIAL 
HOLIDAYS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE LOCALITIES TO COMMEMORATE 
SIGNIFICANT HISTORIC EVENTS AND, TO HBNOR LOCAL HEROES, 
PROVIDING GUIDELINES THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Local Holidays Act 
of 2007”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the 
state that the territorial and political subdivisions shall enjoy genuine, true and 
meaningful autonomy to enable them to attain their fullest development as 
self-reliant communities and as effective partners in the attainment of national 
goals. Towards this end, the local government units herein provided shall 
exercise the power, to ensure and support the preservation and enrichment of 
their local culture and history. 
Thus, the local sanggunians is hereby 
authorized to declare special holidays in their localities to commemorate 
significant historic events and honor local heroes. 
SEC. 
3. 
Authority to declare special local holidays. - The 
sangguniang panlalawigan, sangguniang panlungsod or sangguniang bayan, is 
hereby authorized to declare, by ordinance, working or non-working special 


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holidays to commemorate significan.t historic events in their respective locality, 
subject to the guidelines provided under tkhis Act and upon prior consultation 
with the National Historical Institute ("1) 
and the Department of Labor and 
Employment (DOLE). The sangguniang barangay is hereby authorized to 
declare, by ordinance, working special holidays in their respective localities. 
SEC. 4. Guidelines for the declaration of local special holiday. - The 
sanggunian shall observe the following guidelines when declaring special 
holidays within their respective locality: 
a) 
there must be prior certification by the NHI as to the historical 
significance of the occasion; 
b) 
there must be prior information from the DOLE as to the number 
of workers and establishments to be affected by the declaration of local holiday, 
including the effect in terms of possible loss in wages of daily wage earners; 
c) 
the sangguniang panlalawigan, by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of all 
its members, shall have the authority to'declare special holidays covering the 
entire province or in more than one of its component cities or municipalities. 
In no case shall the sangguniang panlalawigan declare more than one non- 
working holiday in the province or in any 'of its component cities or 
municipalities; 
d) 
the sangguniang panlungsod or sangguniang bayan in the city or 
municipality, as the case may be, by a vote of three-fourths (3/4) 
of all its 
members shall have the authority to declare special holidays in the city or 
municipality concerned or in more than one of its component barangays. In no 
case shall the sangguniang panlungsod or sangguniang bayan declare more 
.than one non-working holiday in any city or municipality, as the case maybe, 
or in any of its component barangays; 
e)' 
local non-working holidays declared prior to the effectivity of this 
Act shall continue to be observed until otherwise changed, discontinued or 
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reduced by the local sanggunian concerned; Provided, That no local holiday 
can be changed oftener than once every ten (10) years and by three-fourths 
vote of all members of the sanggunian concerned; 
r) 
local sanggunians in provinces, cities and municipalities with at 
least one special non-working holiday already shall no longer have the 
authority to declare an additional special non-working day, except to exercise 
the prerogative specified in paragraph e) hereof; 
g) 
the local sanggunian, including the sangguniang barangay may 
declare as many local special working holidays as they deem appropriate, 
follpwing the guidelines prescribed in this section. 
SEC. 5. Authority of the President to declare special local holidays. 
- Nothing herein shall be 'construed to limit the power of the President to 
declare special days, pursuant to Section 28, Chapter 7, of Executive Order 
292 otherwise known as the Administrative Code of 1987. 
SEC. 6. Masterlist of National and Local Special Days. - Within 
ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the leagues of provinces, cities, 
municipalities shall each submit to the NHI a masterlist of existing special local 
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holidays in their respective member-local government units, stating, among 
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others the nature, legal basis and date of declaration of such holidays. 
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Thereupon, the NHI shall immediately furnish the Congress of the Philippines, 
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the Office of the President, the Department of the Interior and Local 
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Government (DILG) and DOLE a complete list of regular and special national 
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and local holidays throughout the country. 
No valid local special holiday 
should be declared in any locality after the NHI shall have issued a certification 
that it had already submitted the master list to the Congress of the Philippines 
and the office of the President. 
SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary of the 
DILG, in consultation with the respective heads of the NHI, DOLE and the 
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leagues of provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays, shall issue the 
necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. 
SEC. 
8. 
Holiday Economics. - 
As much as possible, the local 
nonworking holiday shall be declared on a Monday. 
If a local nonworking 
holiday falls on a day other than Monday, the local sanggunian concerned shall 
have authority to declare its observance on the nearest Monday; Provided, That 
the local sanggunian concerned shall declare such change not later than six (6) 
months prior to its observance. 
SEC. 9. No Reduction in School Days or Hours. - Nothing herein 
shall be construed to reduce the number of school days below the minimum 
allowed by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on 
Higher Education (CHED). Additional class days or hours may be scheduled to 
cover the lost class day or hours due to the celebration of local nonworking 
holiday, as may be determined by the local division of the DepEd or the CHED, 
as.the case may be. 
SEC. 10. Applicability of the Labor Code. - As used in this Act, 
“special local nonworking holiday“ shall mean “special nonworking day“ as 
defined in the pertinent provisions of the Labor Code and its implementing 
rules and regulations. 
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provisions hereof which are not 
affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
SEC. 
12. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and 
regulations, or portions thereof, inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed 
or modified accordingly. 
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SEC. 13. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) 
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days following its publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general 
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circulation. 
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Approved, 
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