Sohoton Cave

Employees dragging their feet back to work, students yawning endlessly, traffic again. That was what greeted everybody last January 4, the day the long holiday vacation ended.

But wait, don’t despair. Malacañang has declared the regular and special working holidays for 2010 as stated on RA 9492 and Proclamation 1841.

Although long weekends are usually celebrated with a long night of partying on Saturday, nursing a hangover on Sunday and sleeping the whole day on Monday, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano urges the public to spend their holidays traveling around the country and help contribute to the local economy.

Aside from the country’s eight anchor spots - Boracay, Palawan, Davao, Cebu, Bohol, Vigan, Baguio, and Manila, the DoT is also actively promoting unexplored sites to benefit the communities in remote areas. These alternative spots are readily available and highly accessible for tourists who prefer to immerse themselves into the local life, home-grown leisure, and stay in accommodations such as home stays and inns.

“We enjoin people to visit tucked-away destinations as well for economic gains to trickle down to the grassroots level,” Durano explained.

In the past year, the DOT has launched some alternative sites like the Sohoton Natural Bridge National Park in Leyte and the Danao Adventure Park in Bohol. Citing other examples of undiscovered spots, Durano  noted that while the beaches of Boracay and Palawan are still top-drawers, Camiguin, Leyte, Mindoro, Occidental and Oriental Negros, Siquijor, Quezon also have pristine waters and stunning coastlines. On the other hand, nature-lovers may head off to Bataan, Batanes, Benguet, Bulacan, Cavite, Marinduque, and Romblon, while heritage hunters may seek the old historical charm of Bacolod and Iloilo, aside from Ilocos.

Tourists who plan to troop to the cities of Manila, Makati, Cebu and Davao have a range of options laid out for them as well.  “On top of shopping, food trips, night-time entertainment and theme park activities, we have huge theater performances and concerts lined up for the year,” said DoT Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque, Jr.’

The DoT has also been relentlessly supporting adventure activities such as plunges, zip line rides, wakeboarding, skim boarding, kayaking and cylotourism among others. The young-at-heart on the other hand may try other activities, as the country caters to a broad spectrum of different preferences of travelers.  

Schedule of regular and special holidays for 2010:

February 20–22 (Saturday–Monday): February 22 - EDSA Anniversary
April 1–4 (Thursday–Sunday): April 1 - Holy Thursday, April 2 - Good Friday
April 9–11 (Friday–Sunday): April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan
May 1–3 (Saturday–Monday): May 1 - Labor Day moved to May 3
June 12–14 (Saturday–Monday): June 12 - Independence Day moved to June 14
August 21–23 (Saturday–Monday): August 21 - Ninoy Aquino Day moved to August 23
August 28–30 (Saturday–Monday): August 29 - National Heroes Day moved to August 30
October 30–November 1 (Saturday–Monday):    November 1 - All Saints Day
November 27–29 (Saturday–Monday): November 30 – Bonifacio Day moved to November 29
December 24–27 (Friday–Monday): December 24 - Non-Working Holiday; December 25 - Christmas Day; December 30 -Rizal Day moved to December 27
December 31–January 2 (Friday–Sunday): December 31 - Non-Working Holiday; January 1 - New Year’s Day; December 30 - Rizal Day moved to December 27