Palace lists 18 holidays in 2018

By Genalyn Kabiling

The public can prepare for their vacations this early following the release of the official list of regular and special non-working days in the country for 2018.

President Duterte has signed Proclamation No. 269 declaring 10 regular holidays and eight special non-working days for next year, paving the way for several long weekends.

President Rodrigo Duterte
(PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

The 2018 regular holidays are New Year’s Day, January 1 (Monday); Maundy Thursday, March 29; Good Friday, March 30; Araw ng Kagitingan,April 9 (Monday); Labor Day, May 1 (Tuesday); Independence Day, June 12 (Tuesday); National Heroes Day, August 27 (last Monday of August); Bonifacio Day, November 30 (Friday); Christmas Day, December 25 (Tuesday); and, Rizal Day, December 30 (Sunday).

The special non-working days are Chinese New Year, February 16 (Friday); EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary, February 25 (Sunday); Black Saturday, March 31; Ninoy Aquino Day, August 21 (Tuesday); All Saints’ Day, November 1 (Thursday); and last day of the year, December 31 (Monday).

Two additional special holidays are All Souls’ Day, November 2 (Friday) and Christmas Eve, December 24 (Monday).

The extra holidays were declared to “strengthen family ties” in commemorating such activities as well as promote domestic tourism.

The proclamations declaring national holidays for Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha will be issued soon after the dates of the Islamic holidays have been determined. The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos have been designated to inform the Office of the President of the actual dates when the holidays will fall.

The Department of Labor and Employment has been ordered to issue the implementing guidelines for the proclamation of the holidays in the country for 2018.

The proclamation, signed by the President last July 17, takes effect immediately.

SM Baguio spearheads planting in Busol watershed

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Published July 19, 2017, 10:01 PM

By Zaldy Comanda

Baguio City – In celebration of Cordillera Day, a total of 50,000 Benguet Pine seedlings were planted by the SM management and city government employees at an adopted site at the Busol watershed, last July 14, in this city.

SM City Baguio employees, together with representatives from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), local government of Baguio, and the Baguio Water District (BWD) trooped to the Busol watershed to plant some 20,000 Benguet Pine saplings as part of the company’s commitment to bring back the greenery of the city’s environment.

TREE-PLANTING COMMITMENT – SM City Baguio employees participate in a tree-planting activity at the Busol watershed in Baguio City where they planted 20,000 Benguet Pine saplings. (Zaldy Comanda)

The 20,000 saplings that were planted were part of the 50,000 saplings that were committed to be planted by the company within the Busol watershed. Deyan Construction, SM City Baguio’s reforestation contractor, will plant the remaining 30,000 seedlings.

Aside from the 50,000 tree saplings that were planted in Busol watershed, SM City Baguio’s contractor will be planting another 50,000 fruit bearing trees in the perimeter of the 139-hectare property in Sto. Tomas School Area and Camp 7 for the remainder of the year.

Mall Manager Rona Vida Correa, reported that from 2012 to 2014, SM City Baguio was able to plant within the Busol watershed some 24,092 assorted tree saplings which was the initial wave of trees that were planted within the city’s premier watershed that supplies some 40 percent of the city’s potable water supply.

Under its reforestation contract with SM, Deyan is obliged to maintain the planted trees for a three-year period until such time that the planted trees will be able to independently grow and service their purpose.

She said SM still has a balance of some 350,000 assorted tree saplings that will be panted in the different parts of the city.

“Thus, SM’s commitment to plant 500,000 trees within five years could be shortened depending on the availability of the planting sites where the saplings will be planted and maintained by its contractor, Correa said.

SM City Baguio assured stakeholders that it will remain committed in helping concerned government agencies and the local government sustain their environmental preservation and protection programs to be able to maintain the city’s forest cover instrumental in balancing its cool climate for the benefit of the present and future generations.