NCMF cadangkan Istana Malacañang istihar 10 september cuti kebangsaan sambut Aidilfitri

Cadang cuti raya di Filipina

MANILA: Suruhanjaya Kebangsaan Masyarakat Islam Filipina (NCMF) mencadangkan supaya Istana Malacañang mengisytiharkan tarikh 10 September sebagai cuti kebangsaan sempena perayaan sambutan Aidilfitri.

Setiausaha NCMF, Bai Omera D Dianalan Lucman dilaporkan menghantar cadangan itu kepada pejabat presiden minggu lalu untuk mengisytiharkan tarikh 10 September iaitu pada hari Jumaat depan sebagai hari cuti umum sempena hari raya Aidilfitri.

“Resepsi Aidilfitri dengan pemimpin Islam dan bukan Islam yang diundang adalah menjadi satu tradisi di Malacañang sama seperti Presiden Amerika Syarikat, Barack Obama yang menganjurkan majlis berbuka puasa di Rumah Putih ketika Ramadan,” kata Lucman.


NCMF bagaimanapun, belum menerima sebarang maklum balas daripada Malacañang walaupun seorang pegawai Kabinet minggu lalu dilaporkan berkata kepada sebuah radio bahawa pihak istana sedang mengkaji sama ada untuk mengisytiharkan Aidilfitri sebagai cuti kebangsaan.

Islam mempunyai dua perayaan terbesar iaitu Aidilfitri yang juga disebut Hari Raya Puasa di kalangan penduduk Melayu Islam di Filipina dan Aidiladha. – Agensi

sumber asal: http://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/articles/CadangcutirayadiFilipina/Article


NCMF asks Malacañang to declare September 10 as ‘Eid’l Fitr’ day

THE National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) headed by Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Bai Omera Dianalan- Lucman has recommended to Malacañang September 10, the date for the celebration of Eid’l Fitr day as non-working national holiday. This is considering that the observance of fasting in the holy month of Ramadan is with less than 10 days more to go before it will finally come to an end.

Muslims consider Eid’l Fitr as the Islamic festival of renewal, reconciliation and peace that marks the end of the 30-day fasting during Ramadan.

In an interview with Lucman, she told The Manila Times that the Muslim commission has already sent an official communication to Malacañang last week, recommending September 10 (Friday) to be proclaimed as Eid’l Fitr day and be considered as non-working holiday by virtue of the Republic Act (RA) 9177 that was signed into law by then President Gloria Arroyo on November 13, 2002.

“I am optimistic Malacañang will favorably act on our request since by tradition and in accordance with the passage of Eid’l Fitr law, the celebration of Hari-Raya Puasa that culminates the end of fasting in the month of Ramadan, is one of the two great festivals where Muslims celebrate with merriment,” Lucman emphasized.

NCMF is a government agency created by law and under the Office of the President that replaced the now defunct Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA), the commission has taken over the functions of OMA as the premier agency that would take care the welfare of the Muslim-Filipinos.

Lucman also requested President Benigno Aquino 3rd for an Eid’l Fitr reception in Malacañang.

“Eid’l Fitr reception with Muslim and non-Muslim leaders invited has been a tradition in Malacañang, what more with United States President Barack Obama hosting an iftar [breaking of fast] in the White House during the Ramadan,” said Lucman.

She said the commission has not yet received any response from Malacañang regarding the said requests as of press time, although a Cabinet member was heard on the radio a week ago saying they were studying whether to declare Eid’l Fitr a holiday.

Aleem Said Ahmad Basher, a graduate of Islamic Propagation from Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt also told The Times that Muslims celebrate only two major festivals in Islam, which are the Eid’l Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast), Hariraya Puasa and Eid’l Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) culminating the end of the hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

In reacting to the announcement of a Cabinet official that the declaration of Eid’l Fitr on September 10 as subject to study whether to declare or not, Aleem Basher, who is concurrently the chairman of the Imam Council of the Philippines said if Malacañang will not declare it as a holiday, this will be a violation of the RA 9177 that declared Eid’l Fitr as a national non-working holiday.

On the other hand, Eid’l Adha, which is also another Muslim national holiday was created by Republic Act 9849 and was also signed by former President Arroyo on December 11, 2009. It commemorates Prophet Abraham’s (peace be upon him) near sacrifice of his only son, which to Muslims was Ishmael, and to Christians, was Isaac.

Both RA 9177 and RA 9849 mandated the defunct OMA, which was abolished at the creation of the NCMF, to recommend every year the dates for the Muslim holidays because they are lunar-based and movable in relation with the Gregorian calendar.

Thus, the then OMA, now replaced by the NCMF, recommended annually the dates for the Islamic holidays so Malacañang can issue a proclamation considering that Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha are now both Philippine national holidays.

Eid’l Fitr falls on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Hijrah calendar, while Ramadan is the ninth month of this Muslim calendar.
JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

sumber asal: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/regions/24939-ncmf-asks-malacanang-to-declare-september-10-as-eidl-fitr-day?fontstyle=f-smaller