Philippines Declares May 12th as Holiday for Mid-Term Elections

The President of the Philippines, has declared, May 12th 2025, the day of mid-term elections, as a special non-working holiday throughout the country.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, on the authority of Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., signed Proclamation 878 on Tuesday declaring a nationwide holiday to ” enable the people to properly exercise their right to vote.”

The announcement follows a request from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare the date a holiday to encourage more Filipinos to vote.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia stated, “Comelec has requested the honorable President to declare May 12 a holiday.”

Declaring election day a holiday would allow people to vote without worrying about missing work, he added.

While election days in the past have typically been declared special non-working holidays, Garcia emphasized that a formal proclamation from the President is still required.

“That’s how it’s been done before, but it still needs an official declaration from the President,” he added.

About 68 million Filipinos are expected to cast their votes in the midterm elections, where more than 18,000 positions are at stake.

Public Holidays in Philippines for 2025