PBBM declares June 17 regular holiday for Eid’l Adha

FILE: Hundreds of Muslims celebrate the Eid’l Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) by offering a prayer at the Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park in Manila on Tuesday (August 21, 2018). (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has declared June 17 a regular holiday to give way to the observance of Eid al-Adha, or the “Feast of Sacrifice.”

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed Proclamation 579 on Tuesday declaring the holiday nationwide.

The proclamation was issued upon the recommendation of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos based on the 1445 Hijrah Islamic Lunar Calendar.

Under Republic Act 9848, the 10th day of Zhul Hijja, the 12th month of the Islamic Calendar, is a national holiday for the observance of Eid’l Adha, with a movable date.

Eid’l Adha is the second major festival for Muslims after Eid al-Fitr, which is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

It commemorates Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command.