President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared 30 October a special non-working holiday day to allow Filipinos to participate in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections,

Malacañang said on Wednesday.

Proclamation No. 359, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on behalf of President Marcos, formalized the announcement.

"It is imperative that the people be given the full opportunity to participate in the elections and exercise their right of suffrage," the PCO quoted the President.

The Supreme Court had allowed the Comelec to conduct the barangay and SK polls on 30 October 2023, as originally specified in Republic Act 11935.

In the elections, voters will choose new officials for 42,027 barangays across 82 provinces throughout the country.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment has stipulated that employees will receive extra compensation during a special non-working holiday.

Employees are entitled to 30 percent on top of their daily rate, calculated as [(basic wage x 130 percent) + Cost of Living Allowance] for the first eight hours of work.

If they work beyond eight hours or overtime, they will receive an additional 30 percent on their hourly rate for that day.