THE House of Representatives approved in the third and final reading House Bill No. 8187 that seeks to declare every national election day as a regular non-working holiday.
Principally authored by Rep. JC Abalos of the 4Ps Partylist, the proposed measure received 198 affirmative votes with zero negative and abstentions. It aims to amend “The Administrative Code of 1987” to include national election day in the lists of regular holidays and nationwide special days in the country.
The bill defines national elections to include activities such as plebiscite, referendum, people’s initiative, recall election, special election, regional elections, and other processes of voting of a similar nature which are national in scope.
In his co-sponsorship speech last May 30, 2023, Abalos stressed the bill’s significance in strengthening democracy by eliminating barriers that prevent individuals from exercising their right to vote, especially those constrained by work or time limitations. Making election day into a regular non-working holiday will enable wage workers to have time to cast their votes while still earning for the day, promoting fairness and acknowledging their role in the democratic process.
Citing examples from other countries where election day is a regular holiday, the solon highlighted that vote turnout rate averages from 75% to 95%.
Abalos said, “If passed into law, this shows a significant milestone in promoting civic rights in the electoral process. And I hope that our counterparts in the Senate will see its significance by filing and passing a similar measure.”
