Eid Al Adha declared national holiday in Philippines

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday signed a presidential proclamation declaring Eid Al Adha, which falls this year on November 27 and 28, as official holidays in the Philippines.

The president made the historic move at a meeting room in Fairmont Hotel Dubai wherein she signed the proclamation in the presence of Filipino Muslim legislators and Muslim government officials, both national and local, from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARRM), who were part of her entourage.

“The President wants to emphasize that the Philippines values its Islamic culture, hence the proclamation,'' said Cerge Remonde, Press Secretary.

Arroyo is in Dubai for a two-day working visit.

A statement said the idea of the proclamation was conceived in consultation with Mohammad Ameen Wali, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the Philippines.

It may be noted that Eid Al Fitr was already declared an official holiday in ARRM in the southern part of the country in 2002, and the law was subsequently amended to make Eid Al Fitr an official holiday across the nation to enable Muslim from other parts of the country to enjoy the break.

“The President's latest move reflects her sensitivity to the religious and spiritual concerns of Muslims, and now calls upon non-Muslims to also share the act of piety in the spirit of inter-faith dialogues that the government has been espousing,'' a statement from the presidential party read.

The Philippine leader is expected to head back for Manila on Tuesday morning from Abu Dhabi after a meeting with President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.