President Marcos signed off on the full 2026 holiday calendar nearly a year in advance. Here’s the official confirmation for August 21 — and what else made the list.

If you’ve been wondering whether August 21, 2026 is really a day off, the answer has been official since last year. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Proclamation No. 1006 on September 3, 2025, formally confirming Ninoy Aquino Day — observed every August 21 — as a Special (Non-Working) Day for the entire country.

The proclamation, released by Malacañang and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, laid out the complete list of regular holidays, special non-working days, and one special working day for 2026, giving employers, schools, and travelers nearly a full year of lead time to plan around it.

THE LEGAL BASIS

Ninoy Aquino Day isn’t a holiday the government re-decides every year. Under Republic Act No. 9256, August 21 is permanently declared a national non-working holiday, commemorating the death anniversary of former Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr., who was assassinated at Manila International Airport in 1983.

Proclamation No. 1006 doesn’t create the holiday — it simply confirms and schedules it for the specific year, alongside the rest of the 2026 calendar. The proclamation itself is anchored on several standing laws, including Republic Acts 9492, 9256, 10966, 9177, and 9849, which collectively govern how Eid’l Fitr, Eid’l Adha, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and other recurring holidays are observed each year.

WHAT PROCLAMATION NO. 1006 ACTUALLY DECLARES

Here’s the full breakdown of the 2026 holiday calendar as confirmed by the proclamation:

Regular Holidays 2026:

Special (Non-Working) Days 2026:

Special (Working) Day 2026:

Notably, the additional special non-working days added for November 2 and December 24 were included specifically to give Filipinos more time for All Souls’ Day observances and Christmas Eve family gatherings — a detail Malacañang highlighted when the proclamation was released.

WHY FEBRUARY 25 IS DIFFERENT

One date worth flagging separately: February 25, 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution — the peaceful uprising that removed the Marcos family from power in 1986 and restored democratic government. Despite the historic significance, Proclamation No. 1006 declared it a special working day, meaning classes and work in both public and private schools and offices continue as usual, rather than a non-working holiday.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was directed to issue implementing guidelines for the proclamation as a whole, which took effect immediately upon signing.

WHAT’S STILL PENDING

Two major holidays weren’t included with fixed dates in Proclamation No. 1006: Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha. Because these Islamic holidays follow the lunar Hijri calendar, their exact 2026 dates are confirmed through separate proclamations issued closer to the actual dates, based on recommendations from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos once the Islamic astronomical calculations or lunar calendar readings are finalized.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR WORKERS

Because Ninoy Aquino Day is classified as a Special (Non-Working) Day — not a Regular Holiday — the pay rules are different:

• If you don’t work: the “No Work, No Pay” principle generally applies, unless your company policy, a collective bargaining agreement, or established company practice says otherwise.
• If you do work: you’re entitled to an additional 30% of your basic daily wage for the first eight hours worked.

This is a different computation from Regular Holidays like National Heroes Day (August 31), where employees are entitled to their full daily wage even if they don’t work, and 200% of their daily wage if they do.

Want the full pay breakdown with examples? Read our Ninoy Aquino Day Pay Rules: What You’re Entitled to If You Work

WHY THIS MATTERS

With Proclamation No. 1006 signed nearly a full year ahead of the dates it covers, Ninoy Aquino Day 2026 has been locked in as an official Special Non-Working Day since September 2025 — there’s no ambiguity or pending confirmation left to watch for, unlike the Islamic holidays still awaiting their own separate proclamations.

For workers, employers, and travelers, that means the August 21–23 long weekend — and the following August 29–31 weekend around National Heroes Day — can be planned for with full confidence.

Continue exploring our Ninoy Aquino Day coverage: Ninoy Aquino Day 2026: The Full Story Behind August 21 · August 2026’s Double Long Weekend: Ninoy Aquino Day to National Heroes Day

This article cites Proclamation No. 1006, s. 2025, as its primary source. We’ll update this piece if any amendment or supplemental proclamation affecting the 2026 holiday calendar is issued.

SOURCES / FOOTNOTES

1. Presidential Communications Office, “PBBM issues proclamation declaring regular holidays, special non-working days for 2026”, September 2025.
2. Philippine News Agency, “Palace releases official list of 2026 holidays”, September 2025.
3. Philippine Daily Inquirer, “LIST: 2026 regular holidays, special non-working days”, September 2025.
4. SunStar Pampanga, “Palace releases official list of 2026 holidays”, September 2025.
5. Assistance.ph, “Malacañang Declares List of Philippine Holidays for 2026”, September 2025.
6. Forvis Mazars, “Holidays in the Philippines for 2026”.