Philippines skipped New Year’s Eve and lost a day in 1844

Did you know that the Philippines lost a day in 1844? On this year, December only had 30 days and December 30th was immediately followed by January 1, 1845.

The decision to skip December 31st was made by Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa, serving as Governor-General at the time. 

Prior to his declaration, the Philippines followed the date set by Spanish conquistadors. The colonizers did not adjust the logs in their journals and kept the date in Spain when they traveled from east to west.

As a matter of convenience in trading, the Philippines stayed on the east side of the International Date Line and was a day behind its Asian neighbors.

However, as interest in trading with China and other neighbors increased, the decision to use the Asian date made more and more sense. So in 1844, Clavería decreed that there will be no December 31 to "catch up" with the rest of Asia. —Aya Tantiangco/ALG, GMA News