DOLE sets Holy Week pay rules, warns firms to comply

DAVAO CITY (April 2)  — The Department of Labor and Employment has laid out mandatory pay rules for workers reporting during Holy Week, reminding employers that non-compliance could mean violations of labor standards.

Under Labor Advisory 5-2026, employees working on regular holidays—Maundy Thursday (April 2) and Good Friday (April 3)—must receive 200% of their daily wage for the first eight hours. Overtime work earns an additional 30% of the hourly rate.

If the holiday falls on a worker’s rest day, pay increases further, with an extra 30% on top of the double pay rate.

Workers who do not report on these regular holidays are still entitled to 100% of their daily wage, reinforcing the “paid holiday” rule.

For Black Saturday (April 4), classified as a special non-working day, the rules differ:

• * Employees who work receive an extra 30% of their daily wage 
• * If it falls on a rest day, the premium rises to 50% 
• * Those who do not work follow the “no work, no pay” rule—unless company policy or a collective bargaining agreement provides otherwise 

The pay guidelines stem from Proclamation No. 1006, which formalized the Holy Week schedule.

DOLE’s advisory serves as both a guide and a warning, as labor groups typically flag underpayment and misclassification of holidays as recurring issues during peak observances.