MANILA, Philippines – A Senate bill seeks to declare the days from Christmas to New Year as special non-working holidays nationwide to “spur local tourism.”

Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV filed Senate bill 714, seeking to institutionalize the observance of long holidays for 8 days, from December 25 to January 1.

In filing the measure, Aquino said the Administrative Code of 1987 already lists 4 of the 8 days as holidays – December 25 or Christmas day, December 30 or Jose Rizal Day, December 31 or New Year’s Eve, and January 1 or New Year’s Day. 

The longer holiday break, Aquino said, would allow more Filipinos to plan their travel with family and friends, thereby boosting domestic tourism. (READ: Elements of a Filipino Christmas)

“The proposed bill seeks to spur local tourism by extending the holiday period to include these eight days, thus encouraging citizens to plan travel vacations with family and friends,” the senator said in his explanatory note.

If approved into law, the bill would also declare the two Saturdays before December 25 as regular working days “to avoid any productivity losses.”

“Excluding Saturday and Sunday, there are only 2 working days in the 8 days affected by this bill. To make up for these days, this bill seeks to also declare the 2 Saturdays preceding December 25 as regular working days, to avoid any productivity losses,” he said.

The measure, however, has no counterpart in the House of Representatives yet. The House has to file a similar bill for it to start the process of becoming a law. – Rappler.com