What is the April 9 holiday in the Philippines, and how to compute the pay for the employees who show up for work on the day?
What is special about April 9?
The whole nation of the Philippines commemorates the 9th day of April each year. For what reason? For the Day of Valor, of course!
The Day of Valor, or Araw ng Kagitingan, is a commemoration of the fall of Bataan in the siege during World War II and of the valor shown by the Filipino and American troops who fought the Japanese invaders. Araw ng Kagitingan, also referred to as Bataan Day, commemorates the death of tens of thousands of Filipino soldiers during the Bataan Death March, where the soldiers were forced to march continuously for over 100 kilometers with little to no food.
Is April 9 a holiday?
Araw ng Kagitingan, or Bataan Day, is one of the Philippines’ national regular holidays. The national regular holidays’ list includes:
- New Year’s Day
- Maundy Thursday
- Good Friday
- Labor Day
- Independence Day
- National Heroes Day
- Bonifacio Day
- Christmas Day
- Rizal Day
Although the Day of Valor is usually celebrated and commemorated on the 9th day of April, there are cases when it was celebrated on a different day due to conflict with another holiday or as ordered by the current president. Just like this year, observance of the Day of Valor will be done on April 9. However, April 10 has been declared a national holiday in honor of the Day of Valor.
Proclamation of April 9 or Araw ng Kagitingan as a Holiday
Araw ng Kagitingan is now a regular holiday. But this was not always the case. The recognition of April 9 as a holiday started with former President Elpidio Quirino’s proclamation (Proclamation No. 381, series of 1953) to set the ninth of April of the year 1953 as Bataan Day.
Bataan Day as a Special Public Holiday
The following year, 1954, former President Ramon Magsaysay proclaimed the Bataan revolution anniversary (9th of April) as Bataan Day and declared it a Special National Holiday. In the year 1955, President Magsaysay signed another proclamation declaring April 9 as Bataan Day and a Special National Holiday.
Bataan Day as a Legal Holiday
It was not until 1961 that the House of Representatives finally passed a republic act (Republic Act No. 3022) to formally declare April 9 as Bataan Day and a legal holiday. A legal holiday is a government-recognized national holiday. Furthermore, government offices, academic institutions, and businesses observe this as an employee rest day, and there are no classes.
Araw ng Kagitingan as a Regular Holiday
Former President Corazon Aquino changed the April 9 holiday from Bataan Day to “Araw ng Kagitingan” in 1987. Additionally, the commemoration was made a regular national holiday. Other names for the holiday include Day of Valor or Bataan and Corregidor Day.
Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo then further amended the Administrative Code of 1987. The amendment allows the “Araw ng Kagitingan” to be celebrated on the 9th of April if it’s a weekday. Alternatively, it is on the nearest Monday to April 9 should it fall on a weekday.
April 9 Holiday Pay Rules
In the Philippines, there are various laws that cover the computation of compensation during holidays. The computation also depends on the type of holiday. For April 9 or Araw ng Kagitingan, the computation for the compensation of employees is based on that of a regular holiday.
Unworked Holiday
Unworked regular holidays entitle employees to receive 100% of their daily basic wage and the designated Cost of Living Allowance or COLA for the day. Computation for the wages of employees who do not work on Araw ng Kagitingan follows the following formula:
Holiday pay = [(daily rate + COLA) x 100%]
Worked Holiday on a Regular Workday
If the Araw ng Kagitingin falls on an employee’s regular workday or ordinary working days, employees who worked for the first eight hours deserve 200% of their daily basic wage or what we call double pay. Computation for the compensation of the employees follows this formula:
Holiday pay = [(daily rate + COLA) x 200%]
Suppose the employee worked for over eight (8) hours. In that case, the hours worked in excess of eight hours are paid 30% more than the normal hourly rate on top of the double pay. The computation follows this formula:
Overtime holiday pay = hourly rate based on the daily basic wage x number of hours worked in excess of 8 hours x 200% x 130%
Worked Holiday on an Employee’s Rest Day
If an employee works on the Day of Valor that falls on their rest day, they are entitled to receive 30% more of their daily wage on top of the applied 200%. The computation for such compensation follows this formula:
Holiday pay = [((daily rate + COLA) x 200%) + (30% x (daily rate x 200%))]
Employees who work for over eight hours are entitled to an additional 30% of their hourly rate. The following formula applies:
Overtime holiday pay = hourly rate based on the daily basic wage x number of hours worked in excess of 8 hours x 200% x 130% x 130%
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