Palace Moves Earth Day Celebration to April 25

Malacanang has moved this year’s Earth Day celebration to April 25 from April 22, which falls on Good Friday, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. announced Wednesday.

According to Ochoa, President Benigno Aquino III’s Administrative Order No. 12, signed on April 19, directs that all activities for the annual commemoration of the Earth Day be held on the first working day after the Holy Week instead of Friday, a non-working holiday by virtue of Proclamation No. 84 issued by the Chief Executive in December last year.

“Yearly, our country celebrates Earth Day on April 22 by virtue of Proclamation No. 1481 issued on April 10, 2008 in solidarity with countries around the world. But there have been suggestions from different sectors to defer the Earth Day celebration for this year because April 22 is Good Friday and majority of the population will be observing Good Friday,” Ochoa explained.

“The President deems it best to move Earth Day celebrations to April 25 this year to allow more people to participate in the activities and make the occasion more meaningful. The government also wants to take the opportunity to draw the attention of the Filipino people to environmental issues affecting our country and the world,” he added.

The celebration of Earth Day is envisioned to inspire awareness and appreciation, as well as encourage conservation of the environment. It likewise aims to strengthen and sustain the fight for a clean environment amid the challenges posed by climate change.

Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and is celebrated in close to 200 countries every year.