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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.