President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called on government agencies to refrain from holding lavish Christmas celebrations as the country continues to recover from the devastation caused by recent typhoons.
In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the directive comes from the President and requires no formal written order as they “believe in the kindness” of the government workers.
“Alinsunod sa panawagan ng ating Pangulo, hinihikayat namin ang lahat ng ahenysa ng pamahalaan na iwasan ang mga marangyang pagdiriwang ngayong Pasko,” Bersamin said.
“This call is in solidarity with the millions of our countrymen who continue to grieve over lives, homes and livelihoods lost during the six typhoons that pummeled us in a span of less than a month,” he added.
Malacañang has also encouraged government agencies to donate the savings from scaling down their Christmas celebrations toward calamity-hit communities.
“The true spirit of Christmas implores us to celebrate with compassion, to share our blessings, and to spread cheer. As a people united by love for our fellow men, we can cast away bleakness as we celebrate in this season of joy,” Bersamin said.
“On the part of the government, we will make sure that the Christmas spirit will be felt early by all the affected areas in the form of relief goods and assistance, of infrastructure rebuilt, and of livelihoods restored,” he added.
The Philippines has been hit by six typhoons in just four weeks, with the most recent—Nika, Ofel, and Pepito—causing ₱478 million in damages and displacing thousands of residents.
