President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared 30 October 2023 as a special non-working day to allow Filipinos to participate in the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, Malacañang said on Wednesday.
Proclamation No. 359, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on behalf of President Marcos, formalizes this announcement.
"It is imperative that the people be given the full opportunity to participate in the said elections and exercise their right of suffrage," the PCO quoted the president as saying.
The Supreme Court allowed Comelec to move with the barangay and SK polls on 30 October 2023, as originally specified in Republic Act No. 11935.
In the upcoming 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.
Specifically, 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 engage in overtime, they will receive an additional 30 percent on their hourly rate for that particular day.