Arroyo declares December 18 holiday in Tacloban

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through Proclamation No. 1687 has declared December 18, 2008 as special non-working day in the City of Tacloban.

Executive Secretary Ermita who signed the Proclamation by authority of President Arroyo, said that in order to give the people of Tacloban City ample time to exercise their right to vote, there is a need to declare, Thursday, December 18, 2008 as special (non-working) day.

President Arroyo earlier on October 4, 2008, proclaimed that Tacloban City has met all the qualifications of a Highly Urbanized City by virtue of Proclamation No. 1637 entitled Conversion of Tacloban City Into a Highly Urbanized City.

On December 10, 2008, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez through Executive Order No. 08-14/12-10, declared December 18 as special non-working day in the City of Tacloban for the purpose of conducting the Plebiscite for the conversion of Tacloban City from a Component City to a Highly Urbanized City.

Mayor Romualdez, in his executive order said that practice and tradition have it that the day of any election, referendum, plebiscite or any similar political exercise, has always been a special non-working day.

Mayor Romualdez said that in order to give the Taclobanons the opportunity to exercise their sacred right of suffrage, he deemed it necessary that December 18, 2008, the day of the plebiscite, be declared as special non working day.

By declaring December 18 a special non-working day, the Taclobanons will be given the chance to fully participate in the said plebiscite, Mayor Romualdez said.

Taclobanons have the right to participate in deciding on the important issue of whether Tacloban City should be reclassified into a highly urbanized city or not, Mayor Romualdez added.

Mayor Romualdez is advocating the conversion of Tacloban City into a highly urbanized City.

On the other hand, another group, that of Vice Mayor Alvin Antoni, is advocating status quo on the ground that Tacloban City is not yet ready to become a highly urbanized city. (PIA 8)