PRESCRIBING A WEEKLY REST PERIOD FOR WORKING IN ANY UNDERTAKING OR ENTERPRISE, WHETHER FOR PROFIT OR NOT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

WHEREAS, there is an urgent need to translate into
meaningful reality, among other provisions of the New Constitution,
Section 9, Article II, thereof; and

WHEREAS, as a means of realizing this objective and at the
same time the demands of national development, it is necessary to make
legislation, particularly existing labor laws, effective instruments of
full productivity and employment generation without sacrificing the
rights of workers;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the
Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me under the Constitution
as Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and
pursuant to the New Constitution, and Proclamation No. 1081, dated
September 21, 1972, and General Orders Nos. 1 and 5, dated September 21,
1972, do hereby order and decree:

SECTION 1. Weekly Rest Day. — Every employer shall
give his employees a rest period of not less than twenty-four
consecutive hours for each period of seven days. The employer shall
determine and schedule the weekly rest day of his employees, subject to
collective bargaining agreement and to such rules and regulations as the
Secretary of Labor may prescribe: Provided, however, That the
preference of an employee as to his weekly rest day shall be respected
by the employer if the same is based on religious grounds.

SEC. 2. Work on a Rest Day. — In cases of force
majeure, public emergencies, serious accidents and other exceptional
cases as determined by the Secretary of Labor, any employee may be
required to work on his scheduled rest day even if it falls on a Sunday
or Holiday, provided he is paid an additional compensation of at least
25% of his regular wage.

SEC. 3. Exemption. — Where the employees do not have
regular working days by reason of the nature of their work, they shall
be entitled to an additional compensation of at least 25% of their
regular wage for work performed on Sundays.

SEC. 4. Penalties. — Any violation of this Decree or
of the rules and regulations issued thereunder shall be punished by a
fine not exceeding five hundred pesos or imprisonment for not more than
five months, or both, in the discretion of the court. If any alien
commits a violation of this Decree or of the implementing rules and
regulations, the court shall order his immediate deportation after
serving his sentence.

SEC. 5. Repealing Clause. — Republic Act No. 946,
and all provisions of existing laws, orders and regulations contrary to
or inconsistent with this Decree are hereby repealed.

SEC. 6. Effectivity. — This Decree shall take effect
upon the promulgation of rules and regulations implementing the same by
the Secretary of Labor, within fifteen (15) days from issuance hereof.

Done in the City of Manila, this 3rd day of March, in the year of
Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-three.