US Embassy in Manila open for business on Nov. 7

While November 7 has been declared a non-working day in the Philippines, the United States Embassy will have regular office hours on that day. Earlier, Malacañang declared November 7 a holiday to mark Eid'l Adha, the Muslim observance of the Feast of the Sacrifice. "The Embassy ... will be OPEN for business on Monday, November 7, 2011," the US Embassy said on its Facebook account. In Proclamation 276, President Benigno Aquino III declared Nov. 7 a regular holiday, noting Eid'l Adha is one of the greatest feasts of Islam. Aquino also noted that Republic Act 9849 provides that it be celebrated as a regular holiday. "(T)he National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) recommended that the observance of Eidul Adha be on 7 November 2011 and the Eidul Adha prayer held on 6 November 2011," he added. — RSJ, GMA News