Chinese New Year on February 1, 2022 (Tuesday) has been declared as a Special Non-working Day in the Philippines.
Table of Contents
I. When is Chinese New Year to be celebrated in 2022?
Chinese New Year is to be celebrated on February 1, 2022, which is a Tuesday.
II. Special Non-Working Day Pay Computation for Chinese New Year
How to compute Special Non-Working Day Pay for the Chinese New Year?
The computation of the Special Non-Working Day Pay is dependent upon several factors such as if it was also a scheduled Rest Day or overtime work has been performed.
III. Legal Basis for the declaration of Chinese New Year as a Holiday
When was Chinese New Year started to be celebrated as a Special Non-Working Day?
Chinese New Year began to be declared as a Special Non-Working Day with Proclamation No. 295, s. 2011 signed by President Benigno Aquino for the 2012 Holidays. Succeeding proclamations have included Chinese New Year as a Holiday from thereon, with the exception of 2013 Holidays.
Chinese New Year is one of the movable Holidays in the Philippines that requires a proclamation to declare it as such on a given year. Should it not be included in a Proclamation, employees would not receive the premium pay for it.
Law or Republic Act declaring Chinese New Year as a Special Non-Working Day
There is no Republic Act that declares Chinese New Year as a Special Non-Working Day.
Proclamations that declare Chinese New Year as a Special Non-Working Day
| Year | Proclamation | Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Proclamation No. 1236, s. 2021 | 1 February (Tuesday) | |
| 2021 | Proclamation No. 986, series of 2020 | 12 February (Friday) | |
| 2020 | Proclamation No. 845, s. 2019 | 25 January (Saturday) | |
| 2019 | Proclamation no. 555, s. 2018 | 5 February (Tuesday) | |
| 2018 | Proclamation no. 269, s. 2017 | 16 February (Friday) | |
| 2017 | Proclamation No. 50, s. 2016 | 28 January (Saturday) | |
| 2016 | Proclamation No. 1105, s. 2015 | 8 February (Monday) | |
| 2015 | Proclamation No. 831, s. 2014 | 19 February (Thursday) | |
| 2014 | Proclamation No. 655, s. 2013 | 31 January (Friday) | |
| 2013 | N/A | 10 February (Saturday) | Was not declared as a Special-Non-Working Day |
| 2012 | Proclamation No. 295, s. 2011 | 23 January (Monday) | First Time declared as a Special Non-Working Day |
Chinese New Year for the Year 2013
For the Year of 2013, Chinese New Year was not declared as a Special Non-Working Day by the Office of the President.
The explanation behind this was given by the Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte during a radio interview on held on September 2, 2012.
"There's actually no need to declare it a holiday [...] We've consulted [groups about] this, and we found out that the Chinese New Year in 2013 will fall on a Sunday,"
Source: Rappler. (2012, September 2). Why Chinese New Year 2013 is not a holiday in Philippines. Retrieved on 10 February 2021 from "https://www.rappler.com/nation/chinese-new-year-2013-not-declared-a-holiday"
A supposed movable holiday that fell on the Saturday (or a weekend) is not a valid basis to preclude it from being a Holiday.
Fortunately, this has not been used as a precedent as Chinese New Years that fell on Saturdays (e.g, 2017 and 2020) have been declared as Special Non-Working Days.
The specific details that would clearly explain the reason on the non-declaration of the holiday for 2013 would be the consultation notes from such persons or groups.
Vyron earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree from De La Salle University – Manila and placed 9th in the 1st Psychometrician Board Exam held on 2014. A Human Resource Practitioner and an aspiring Attorney. He writes and answers questions regarding Human Resource Management for fun.
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