Christmas couldn’t come early enough for residents of San Pedro City, Laguna.
Last week, the city government of San Pedro under Mayor Art Mercado started the distribution of the much-anticipated “Pamaskong Handog” gift packs to ensure that all San Pedrense families will have a “Merry Christmas” come December 25.
Mercado himself led the start of the distribution of the Pamaskong Handog packs to residents of Barangays Poblacion and Santo Niño, with simultaneous distributions at Barangays Riverside and United Bayanihan.
As of December 6, the city government has also conducted Pamaskong Handog distribution drives in Barangays Bagong Silang, Calendola, GSIS, Laram, Maharlika, Narra, Rosario, and San Lorenzo Ruiz.
"[Ito po ay isang] munting handog na magbibigay ng ngiti at saya sa bawat pamilyang San Pedrense," Mercado said in a social media post, as he acknowledged the continuing challenges faced by the people even as the restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic – and the economic impacts of the three-year health crisis – were finally lifted earlier this year.
‘Lahat ay mabibigyan’
And just like last year, city officials assured that all San Pedrense families will receive their own gift packs.
“Lahat po ng nasa database natin from the barangays, per household po ay mabibigyan,” Jhe-Rico Sam Colina, head of the San Pedro City Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO), told OpinYon Laguna.
The PAIO head added that with the cooperation of officials of the city’s 27 barangays, the city government is targeting to complete the distribution of the Pamaskong Handog packs before Christmas Day, December 25.
“Sa timeline po ng ating LGU, ang target po natin ay maibigay ang mga Pamaskong Handog sa around 100,000 na pamilya dito sa San Pedro bago mag-December 20,” Colina said.
“Basta makipagtulungan lang ang ating mga barangay officials tulad ng mga naunang mga barangay, mas magiging mabilis ang ating distribution. At dahil base sa last year’s database at current data ng barangay, masisiguro na lahat po ay mabibigyan,” he added.
Other Christmas ‘gifts’
And the Pamaskong Handog gift packs is just one way of ensuring that San Pedrenses will fully enjoy what may be the first “back-to-normal” Christmas after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to city officials.
As announced by Mercado during the opening salvo of the city government’s Christmas festivities last December 1, senior citizens and persons with disabilities will receive a P1,000 cash gift from the city government, while it has also started the distribution of scholarship grants under its “Iskolar ng Lungsod ng San Pedro” program last December 7.
“Para sa amin po, ang mas magpapasaya sa mga San Pedrense ay yung maramdaman at makita nila yung buwis na binabayad nila, at yung malaman na hindi ito nasasayang at ito ay ginagastos sa tama at para sa kanila,” Colina said.
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