By CESAR JOLITO III
Local government units (LGUs) may order the suspension of work in government offices and classes in public schools under the general welfare clause of the Local Government Code, but they cannot compel private establishments to follow suit, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) clarified yesterday.
Atty. Neil Andrew Yanson, legal officer of the DILG in the Negros Island Region, said the authority of LGUs is limited to public sector institutions.
Private companies and schools retain autonomy over their work and class schedules, guided by national labor regulations.
“LGUs have legal basis to implement suspensions for government offices and public educational institutions, but they cannot require private entities to adopt the same arrangements,” Yanson said, stressing that the general welfare clause does not extend to private sector operations.
The clarification comes as several LGUs announced localized suspensions in connection with the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Wednesday, February 25.
In Negros Occidental, Hinigaran Mayor Grace Arceo and Isabela Mayor Miguel Angelo Yulo ordered the suspension of work in government offices and classes in both public and private schools in their respective municipalities to mark the commemoration.
At the national level, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. declared February 25 a special working day through Proclamation No. 1006 in 2025, meaning government offices remain open unless otherwise ordered by local authorities.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment reminded employers of the applicable pay rules.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said employees who report to work on a special working day are entitled only to their regular daily wage, with no premium pay, consistent with guidelines of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.
The EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary commemorates the 1986 uprising that led to the ouster of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and remains a significant date in Philippine history, even as questions continue to arise on how work and class suspensions should be implemented at the local level./CJ, WDJ