Leonardia: October 19 is a holiday in Bacolod City

BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the city will continue to implement the special non-working holiday every October 19 until the law that declared the holiday is repealed.

"The law that made October 19 a holiday has not been repealed, therefore regardless of how we look at the June 18 and October 19 comparison, the fact remains that October 19 is still a holiday," the mayor said.

Republic Act (RA) 7724 or the Bacolod City Charter Day law approved in May 19, 1994, declared October 19 of every year a special non-working public holiday in the city.

The law states that the celebration of MassKara serves as the highlight of the Charter Day celebration every October 19.

However, the city for the first time celebrated its Charter Day last June 18 by virtue of Ordinance 588 passed by the City Council on May 2, 2012.

The ordinance declared June 18 this year and every year thereafter as the date of signing into law of Commonwealth Act, or the Charter Day of Bacolod City.

"Let's just live with reality that today is still a holiday until it is repealed," he said. "So we would like to announce to our people, the banks, students and schools, business establishment owners that we will observe the holiday today," Leonardia said.

The mayor, meanwhile, said he could not consider the giving of anniversary bonus to employees.

"We cannot promise because we have to put into consideration that, in December, we are still going to give our employees the year-end bonus. I would even prefer giving them the bonus at the end of the year than give them the anniversary bonus which is not that much," he said. (Carla N. Canet)