[ MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 20, February 27, 2024 ]

STRENGTHENING THE RULES FOR THE FILING OF REQUESTS FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PROCLAMATIONS DECLARING SPECIAL NON-WORKING DAYS OR HOLIDAYS



WHEREAS, Executive Order (EO) No. 292 s. 1987 authorizes the President to issue proclamations fixing a date or declaring a status or condition of public moment or interest upon the existence of which the operations of a specific law or regulations is made to depend;

WHEREAS, EO No. 292 likewise authorizes the President to proclaim any local special day for a particular date, group or place;

WHEREAS, Memorandum Order (MO) No. 292 s. 1995 directs all parties to file requests for the issuance of Presidential Proclamations declaring special day or holidays no less than thirty (30) days before the special day, holiday or event sought to be covered by the proclamation;

WHEREAS, it has been observed that numerous requests for the issuance of Presidential Proclamations are filed only a few days before the date itself or event;

WHEREAS, it has also been observed that some requests are filed with other offices thus causing unnecessary delays in the processing of the proclamation requests; and

WHEREAS, there is a need to strengthen the existing rules for the issuance of Presidential Proclamations declaring special (non-working) days or holidays.

NOW, THEREFOR, in the interest of efficiency in the processing of requests for the issuance of Presidential Proclamations, the following are hereby ordered:

Section 1. All requests for the issuance of Presidential Proclamation declaring special non-working days or holidays must be filed with and received by the Office of the President no less than thirty (30) days before the special day, holiday or event sought to be covered by the proclamation. Subject to the discretion and power of the President to issue proclamations, any request not filed within the prescribed period shall be received without any action or the same shall be a ground for the denial of the request.

Section 2. All such requests for the issuance of Presidential Proclamations declaring special non-working days or holidays shall be filed with the Office of the President or the Office of the Executive Secretary. The Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs shall continue to function as the central secretariat handling the processing of the requests for the issuance of Presidential Proclamations.

Section 3. MO No. 292 s. 1995 is hereby repealed. All other circulars, rules and regulations or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 4. If any provision of this Order is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions unaffected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting.

Section 5. This Order shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 27th day of February in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty Four.

 


By authority of the President:



  (SGD.) LUCAS P. BERSAMIN
Executive Secretary