SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga”•The provincial government has declared Dec. 11, Monday, as a special non-working holiday to celebrate Pampanga’s 446th Foundation Day by the virtue of Proclamation No. 2226 series of 1982.
The celebration kicked off Wednesday with a Mass at the Capitol grounds here led by Gov. Lilia Pineda and provincial employees.
Pineda said the highlight of the Foundation Day includes cultural activities, a food festival, a beauty contest, dances, and the awarding of the Most Outstanding Kapampangan who are successful in their respective careers.
The activities and the proclamation of the holiday covers only the two component cities and 19 municipalities in Pampanga. It excludes Angeles City, which is classified as highly urbanized city and operates independently from the province.
The Department of Labor and Employment stresses that since Dec. 11 falls on a Monday, it is a no-work, no-pay day, unless there is a collective bargaining agreement between the employer and employees of the business concerned.
Employees who work during the holidays for eight hours will receive an additional 30 percent of their daily rate, while 100 percent is given if work rendered is in excess of eight hours.
If the holiday falls on the rest day of the employees who still worked, they will receive additional 50 percent of daily rate, DOLE added.
“Aldo Ning Kapampangan” celebrates the establishment of the province by Spanish authorities in December 1521. Its annual Foundation Day celebration was formalized by virtue of Proclamation No. 2226 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos on Dec. 11, 1982.
Pampanga, which takes its name from word “pampang,” meaning riverbank, is now a first-class province and the leading exporter of electronics among the seven provinces of Central Luzon.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte was invited to grace one of the highlights of the 446th Foundation Day, which is the Kapampangan Food Festival at the ASEAN Convention Centre at the Fontana Leisure Estate inside the Clark Development Corp. on Dec. 7.
During the culinary event, visitors can taste the traditional showcase food of each city and municipality prepared by famous cooks of Pampanga like the Duman of the Sta. Rita, Binulu of Porac, Kamaru of Magalang and other food specialty of the province. Pampanga is also known as the culinary capital of the Philippines.