Muslim officials and employees working at the Cebu City government were exempted from reporting for work on Thursday to give them time to celebrate the “Lailatul Isra Wal Miraj” or the Feast of the Prophet’s Ascension.
The celebration has been a legal holiday for Muslims in the country.
The lunar calendar places this year’s celebration on March 11.
Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia authored a resolution that was passed by the City Council on Wednesday, declaring that the local lawmakers are “one with our Muslim officials and employees as they celebrate the pious observance” of the feast.
The resolution also conveyed to the city’s Human Resource Development Office the provisions of Presidential Decree (PD) 1083, the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines, and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) resolutions 81-1277 and 02072.
In the resolution, Garcia explained that although Article 170 of PD 1083 identified the provinces, cities, and towns in Mindanao where the holiday takes effect, Article 172 said that “Muslim government officials and employees in places other than those enumerated shall be excused from reporting to office in order that they may be able to join the observance.”
The issuance from the CSC, he said, also stated that Muslims in government are free from work and are not to be marked absent during the holidays in observance of Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Maulod-en-Nabi, Lailatul Isra Wal miraj, Mahurram, and Amon Jaded. (PNA)
