MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Through Proclamation No. 90, signed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, April 10, 2023, is declared as a regular holiday in the Philippines as it is the nearest Monday to April 9, also known as Araw ng Kagitingan.
With April 10 as a holiday, this gives Filipinos five days without school or work since April 6 to 8 is the celebration of the holy week, also declared as holidays in the country.
See the complete list of April 2023 holidays in the Philippines below:
Regular Holidays
April 6, 2023 – Maundy Thursday
April 7, 2023 – Good Friday
April 10, 2023 (Monday nearest to April 9) – Araw ng Kagitingan
Special (Non-Working) Holidays
April 8, 2023 – Black Saturday
Why Filipinos celebrates Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor)?
Araw ng Kagitingan, or the Day of Valor, is a yearly commemoration of the lives of the Filipino and American soldiers who fought during the Fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942.
Eighty-one years ago, during World War II, Luzon Force, Bataan commander Major General Edward P King, Jr, surrendered more than 76,000 of his starving and disease-ridden troops (64,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans) to Japan.
The captives were forced to endure the infamous 140-kilometer Bataan Death March to Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.
Along the way, thousands died due to famine, heat, untreated wounds, and wanton or execution-style murder. Historians believe that only 54,000 of the 76,000 survived the march. However, no exact number has been identified.
Those who survived were only rescued in early 1945 during the Raid of Raid at Cabanatuan.
The Day of Valour was passed as an official Filipino holiday through Republic Act 2033, passed by Congress in 1961. The law says part of the observance for Bataan Day is a moment of silence among citizens and public offices at 4:30 pm. – WhatALife!
Also read: LIST: April 2023 Holidays in the Philippines
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