BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance institutionalizing the celebration of Eid’l Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice of the Muslims in the city and providing funds for the activities that will be lined up by organizers for such program.
The ordinance authored by Vice Mayor Edison R. Bilog stated that it will be a declared policy of the local government to institutionalize the celebration of Eid’l Adha Feast of Sacrifice of the Muslims in the city in recognition of the existence of the diverse culture and traditions of the people that inhabit the city for a long period of time.
The ordinance added that the activities during the celebration will be planned by the local government in coordination with the Muslim community leaders in the city.
Among the proposed activities during the celebration of Eid’l Adha include parade, forums, trainings, and other undertakings that may help broaden public consciousness about the celebration of the Feast of Sacrifice of the Muslims living in the city.
The ordinance tasked the City Administrator’s Office to prepare the necessary activities for the Eid’l Adha celebration and will be mandated with the other concerned offices and departments for the realization of the purposes of the proposed measure.
Based on the proposal, an amount of P100,000 from the annual budget of the local government shall be appropriated for the successful implementation of the pertinent provisions of the measure and for expediency, the said amount will be included in the annual budget of the City Administrator’s office for the sustainable implementation of the program and that the allocation may be adjusted to ensure the success of all the activities to be planned and executed.
Eid’l Adha is one of the most important feasts of the Islam religion wherein Republic Act (RA) 9849 provides that it would be observed as a regular holiday based on a Proclamation to be issued upon the recommendation of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).
Recently, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation No. 556 declaring August 21, 2018 a regular holiday in the country in observance of Eid’l Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice of the Muslims.
The ordinance stipulated that considered as one of Islam’s revered observances, the 4-day religious holiday also corresponds with the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, that all financially and physically able Muslims are required to undertake once in their lifetime.
Moreover, to be able to further observe the feast which honors the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah’s command as told in the Koran, it is but proper that the celebration be institutionalized by the local government and for the city to include the activities that will be lined up for the celebration in its year-round programs.
The ordinance claimed that the celebration of the Feast of Sacrifice will also foster greater unity and harmony in the city with constituents having various faiths but joining everyone in various celebrations prepared by the local government.
By Dexter A. See
