Plan your leaves with this 2012 holiday guide

Planning your limited leaves and taking advantage of these holidays will help give you the much needed fuss-free vacation you'll need to survive the year. Here are a few tips on when to file your leaves for 2012.

• January 23 - A long weekend coming up very soon! Want to have a longer weekend? Take a leave on January 20 (friday) or January 24 (tuesday)
• April 5-9 - Holy week vacation starts and ends with Araw ng Kagitingan. A very long vacation to have but plan early to avoid the peek season rate rush
• May 1 - Take up a vacation leave on April 30 to enjoy a long weekend's rest before Labor day
• June 12 - Take up a vacation leave on June 11 to enjoy a long weekend's rest
• August 21 & 27
• Take a leave on August 20 (monday) or August 24 (friday) to take advantage of a longer vacation on these dates
• November 1,2 & 30
• Take a leave on November 5 (monday) to extend your November holiday. These gives you time to visit the cemetery during the weekdays and find some R&R with a longer weekend.
• You can also opt to extend the Bonifacio Day holiday by taking a leave on December 3 (monday).

These makes up most of the local holidays. There are a few privileged cities that declare non-working days too (i.e. Taguig city day, Quezon City day etc). Make sure to watch out for these and plan your trips ahead