In light of the recent “string of calamities” that pummeled Laguna province and other parts of Luzon and Visayas this month, the national government has laid down the rule (disguised as a “suggestion”): no lavish Christmas parties this year.
According to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, this suggestion – er, rule – was made “in solidarity” with the millions of Filipinos, including Lagunenses, whose lives and livelihood were destroyed during the six typhoons that pummeled the country in the span of less than a month.
Bersamin also made the suggestion that whatever “savings” accrued by national and local government agencies could (or should) instead be channeled to relief and rehabilitation efforts for those who were affected by the typhoons.
We all know that one way government agencies manage to spend their “savings” is through lavish Christmas parties. Such celebrations have become yet another way, it should be pointed out, for politicians to dispense their favor and patronage, playing “Santa Claus” to adoring constituents and employees.
Given that such displays of lavishness go against the mandate that government employees should live according to their means, the ban on huge Christmas parties should be the rule, rather than the exception.
This does not mean that the national government is being a “killjoy.”
After all, everybody has the right to enjoy the holidays – not just because we’ve all missed the “bongga” celebrations that were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also in light of the successive calamities that befell our country in the past few weeks.
But let us also consider this: many of our kababayans are sure to celebrate a bleak Christmas and New Year after losing their homes and their livelihood in a one-in-a-million phenomena that struck our nation.
The least we can do to show our sympathy and solidarity with them is giving them the utmost priority in our mission to spread the joy of Christmas this year – which will undoubtedly involve sacrifices of our own.
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