MANILA, Philippines – President Bongbong Marcos will announce soon a proclamation declaring a regular holiday throughout the country for Eidul Adha or “Feast of Sacrifice”, which is expected to fall on July 9 or 10, 2022.
Note that the date of the Islamic celebration varies from year to year and depends on moon sighting.
Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and several other Asian countries have said that they will celebrate Eidul Adha on Sunday, July 10. The Muslim Council of Hong Kong also announced the same date and confirmed that “the moon has not been sighted.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Um al-Qura calendar marks Eidul Adha 2022 Muslim Festival on July 9, with the official date and confirmation to be announced by the High Judicial Court (HJC) after the moon sighting.
On June 30, the Bangsamoro Darul-Ifta announced that Eid’l Adha will be held on July 9.
“By virtue of the authority vested in me as Bangsamoro Mufti, I hereby announce that the Eidul-Adha sacrificial festival this year will be on Saturday, July 9,” Mufti Abuhuraira Udasan said in a statement.
According to Proclamation No. 1236 for the nationwide holidays for the year 2022, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) shall inform the Office of the President for the actual date of Eidul Adha on which this holiday shall fall.
READ: LIST: Philippine Holidays, Long Weekends in 2022
Note that President Marcos may also adjust the holiday declaration to July 11, 2022 (Monday) similar to the adjustment made for Eid al-Fitr 2022 holiday due to tight date of confirmation from NCMF.
Eid al-Adha, one of largest religious festivals for Muslims worldwide, marks the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Ismail or Ismael) as an act of obedience to God, before God then intervened, to provide him with a sheep to sacrifice instead.
In the Philippines, Republic Act (RA) 9849 signed in 2009 says the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah or the twelfth month of the Islamic Calendar, is hereby declared as a national holiday for the observance of Eidul Adha.
Eid’l Adha, a public holiday since 2002 in the country, is one of the two greatest feasts of the Muslim community – the other called Eid’l Fitr or the Feast of Ramadan, which was also declared as a regular holiday on May 3.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Muslim community is expected to observe quarantine protocols and physical distancing measures.
Muslim Filipinos comprise about six percent of the country’s population.
— The Summit Express
