MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos can officially start mapping out their 2027 vacations, family reunions and long-weekend trips after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the country’s holiday calendar for next year.
Under Proclamation No. 1427, signed on September 8, Marcos declared 10 regular holidays, eight special non-working days in all, and one special working day, while the dates of the two major Islamic holidays will be announced separately. The proclamation was publicly reported on September 11.
The headline attraction is the inclusion of four dates described by Malacañang as additional special non-working days: Chinese New Year on February 6, Black Saturday on March 27, All Souls’ Day on November 2 and Christmas Eve on December 24.
But workers planning their calendars should look beyond the headline.
Two of those four dates fall on a Saturday, while the placement of several other holidays could produce some of 2027’s most attractive extended breaks.
The Official 2027 Holiday Calendar
The dates announced under Proclamation No. 1427 are:
| Date | Holiday | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 1, Friday | New Year’s Day | Regular holiday |
| Feb. 6, Saturday | Chinese New Year | Additional special non-working day |
| Feb. 25, Thursday | EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary | Special working day |
| March 25, Thursday | Maundy Thursday | Regular holiday |
| March 26, Friday | Good Friday | Regular holiday |
| March 27, Saturday | Black Saturday | Additional special non-working day |
| April 9, Friday | Araw ng Kagitingan | Regular holiday |
| May 1, Saturday | Labor Day | Regular holiday |
| June 12, Saturday | Independence Day | Regular holiday |
| Aug. 21, Saturday | Ninoy Aquino Day | Special non-working day |
| Aug. 30, Monday | National Heroes Day | Regular holiday |
| Nov. 1, Monday | All Saints’ Day | Special non-working day |
| Nov. 2, Tuesday | All Souls’ Day | Additional special non-working day |
| Nov. 30, Tuesday | Bonifacio Day | Regular holiday |
| Dec. 8, Wednesday | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | Special non-working day |
| Dec. 24, Friday | Christmas Eve | Additional special non-working day |
| Dec. 25, Saturday | Christmas Day | Regular holiday |
| Dec. 30, Thursday | Rizal Day | Regular holiday |
| Dec. 31, Friday | Last Day of the Year | Special non-working day |
The same schedule has been reported by the Philippine News Agency and The Philippine Star, while LawPhil lists Proclamation No. 1427 as the official September 8 presidential issuance establishing the calendar.
The Biggest Winner May Be the November Break
For Filipinos working a conventional Monday-to-Friday schedule, November could deliver one of the most useful extended breaks of 2027.
All Saints’ Day falls on Monday, November 1, followed immediately by the newly designated additional special non-working day for All Souls’ Day on Tuesday, November 2.
Combined with the preceding Saturday and Sunday, that creates a potential four-day break from October 30 through November 2, without counting any personal leave.
Malacañang specifically said the designation of November 2 was intended to give families more time for traditional All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day activities, strengthen family ties and encourage domestic tourism.
Holy Week Also Creates a Four-Day Window
Holy Week will again provide another significant break.
Maundy Thursday falls on March 25, Good Friday on March 26, and Black Saturday on March 27, followed by Easter Sunday on March 28.
For many employees, that means a Thursday-through-Sunday break.
The proclamation says Black Saturday continues to be treated as a special non-working day in recognition of Holy Week as one of the country’s longstanding religious traditions.
Christmas Eve Gives Workers a Friday Break
Another strategically placed holiday comes at Christmas.
December 24 falls on a Friday and has been declared an additional special non-working day, followed by Christmas Day on Saturday and Sunday on December 26.
For employees with weekends off, that effectively creates another three-day holiday period.
Malacañang said the Christmas Eve designation was intended to provide additional time for traditional Christmas activities and family gatherings while supporting domestic tourism.
Several Major Holidays Fall on Saturdays
There is a catch in the 2027 calendar.
A striking number of holidays land on Saturdays, including Chinese New Year on February 6, Labor Day on May 1, Independence Day on June 12, Ninoy Aquino Day on August 21 and Christmas Day on December 25. Black Saturday naturally also falls on Saturday, March 27.
For employees already off on Saturdays, those dates may not create an extra weekday break unless a later proclamation or company policy provides otherwise.
That makes the wording “four additional special non-working days” potentially confusing.
The government is adding four dates to the proclamation’s additional special-day category, but it does not mean every Filipino automatically receives four extra weekdays away from work.
There is another important distinction: these four are not unprecedented additions compared with the current year. The 2026 holiday proclamation also designated Chinese New Year, Black Saturday, November 2 and December 24 as additional special non-working days.
EDSA Anniversary Remains a Working Day
One politically significant date will remain outside the non-working holiday calendar.
The EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary on February 25 is classified as a special working day.
In 2027, the Philippines will commemorate the 41st anniversary of the 1986 uprising that toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and led to major political and constitutional changes.
Proclamation No. 1427 says the anniversary commemorates an event that ushered in “political, social, and economic reforms in the country.” The Philippine Star specifically highlighted the continued working-day classification in its coverage of the new calendar.
That means February 25 is commemorative, but it is not a nationwide day off under the proclamation.
Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha Are Still Missing — For a Reason
The calendar is not completely finished.
Two national regular holidays—Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha—do not yet have fixed 2027 dates in the proclamation.
Malacañang said separate proclamations will be issued after the dates are determined using the Islamic or Hijra calendar, lunar calculations or Islamic astronomical calculations, with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos involved in determining the appropriate dates.
This is normal practice because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the precise Philippine observance dates are formally proclaimed later.
Travelers and employees should therefore treat any currently published March or May 2027 Eid dates on unofficial calendars as tentative, not yet the final Philippine government declaration.
What “Regular” and “Special Non-Working” Actually Mean for Pay
The distinction between the two kinds of holiday matters significantly for private-sector workers.
Under current DOLE rules, an eligible employee who does not work on a regular holiday is generally entitled to 100% of the daily wage, subject to the applicable attendance and leave requirements. A worker who reports for duty during a regular holiday generally receives 200% of the basic wage for the first eight hours.
Special non-working days operate differently.
The normal rule is “no work, no pay” unless a favorable company policy, practice or collective bargaining agreement provides otherwise. Employees who work during a special non-working day are generally entitled to 130% of their basic wage for the first eight hours, with higher rates when the special day also falls on their scheduled rest day.
DOLE has been directed to issue the implementing guidelines covering the 2027 proclamation.
The Long Weekends Already Taking Shape
Even before the Eid dates are announced, the 2027 calendar offers several strong opportunities for workers with Saturday-Sunday weekends.
New Year: January 1 falls on Friday, creating a Friday-to-Sunday break.
Holy Week: March 25 to March 28 effectively creates a four-day Thursday-to-Sunday period.
Araw ng Kagitingan: April 9 falls on Friday, creating another three-day weekend.
National Heroes Day: August 30 falls on Monday, producing a Saturday-to-Monday break.
Undas: November 1 and November 2 fall on Monday and Tuesday, potentially producing a four-day Saturday-to-Tuesday break.
Christmas: December 24 falls on Friday, immediately before Saturday’s Christmas Day and Sunday, December 26.
Those configurations follow directly from the dates in Proclamation No. 1427 and the 2027 calendar.
Why Malacañang Is Announcing the Calendar Early
Publishing the following year’s holidays months in advance does more than help travelers find cheaper flights.
Businesses can schedule operations and payroll requirements. Schools and government agencies can build calendars. Airlines, hotels and tourism operators can prepare for predictable travel surges. Families—particularly those separated by work or overseas employment—can also plan reunions well ahead.
BusinessMirror noted that the proclamation is intended to serve as a guide for employers and workers, while the government explicitly connected some of the additional non-working dates with encouraging domestic tourism.
And that may be the most consequential part of the announcement.
On paper, the Philippines has four “additional” special non-working days in the 2027 proclamation.
But calendar placement matters almost as much as the number itself.
Some land on Saturdays and will barely change the schedules of five-day workers. Others—particularly November 2 and December 24—connect directly to weekends or adjacent holidays and can turn ordinary dates into extended family and travel periods.
So the real story of the 2027 holiday calendar is not simply how many holidays Filipinos have—it is where those holidays fall, because that could determine which dates become the country’s biggest travel weekends of the year.
Leave a Reply