Imee Marcos proposes election day as non-working holiday

Senator Imee Marcos sponsored a bill to declare Philippine Election Day a regular non-working holiday.

In her speech on 9 September, she stressed the importance of allowing every Filipino to exercise their right to vote without sacrificing their livelihood.

“Äng pangako ng demokrasya ay dapat panindigan nang pantay-pantay sa harap ng batas ang mamamayan,” the lady senator said.

Senator Marcos also referenced the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Labor Advisory No. 27, series of 2023. This advisory stipulates that employees working on regular holidays are entitled to 200 percent of their wage for the first eight hours.

This is more advantageous, she said, than the "no work, no pay" principle applied to special non-working holidays, where payment depends on company policy, practice, or collective bargaining agreements.