President Rodrigo Duterte has declared Wednesday, April 14, a special non-working day in Cebu City to mark 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.
Duterte, in a proclamation signed Monday, said the move would allow Cebuanos to fully celebrate the historic event mindful of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is but fitting and proper that the people of the City of Cebu be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies subject to community quarantine, social distancing, and other public health measures," the President said in Proclamation No. 1130.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted grand celebrations for the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines.
Spanish colonizers brought the faith to the Philippines in 1521, which became one of its most enduring legacies. Roughly 80% of the country's 100 million people are Catholic, making it the Vatican's outpost in Asia.
Last month, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the Vatican to mark 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.
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