Malacañang declared a half-day for government offices on Wednesday to give state employees a head start in the Holy Week exodus.
In his Memorandum Circular No. 45 issued Monday, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin said the measure will allow government workers to “travel to and from the different regions in the country” for the long Holy Week weekend.
“To provide government employees full opportunity to properly observe Maundy Thursday and Good Friday on 28-29 March 2024 and to allow them to travel to and from the different regions in the country, work in government offices on 27 March 2024 is hereby suspended from 12:00 o’clock in the afternoon onwards,” Bersamin said.
He said the circular will not cover “agencies whose functions involve the delivery of basic and health services, preparedness/response to disasters´and calamities, and/or the performance of other vital services.”
Bersamin said the suspension of work in private companies and offices is left to the discretion of their respective employers.
Filipinos usually spend the long Holy Week holiday in the provinces resulting in congestion in major ports and thoroughfares.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has declared Maundy Thursday and Good Friday as Regular holidays and Black Saturday (March 30) as a Special Non-Working holiday