By Mariela Angella Oladive
More than 40,000 indigent residents received early holiday gifts during the Iloilo City Government’s Christmas gift-giving event on Monday, December 23, at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand.
City officials led the initiative, distributing Christmas relief packs to beneficiaries. Roberto Niño, supervising administrative officer of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), said the city government prepared the gift packs, which included over 1 kilogram of rice, packs of chocolate drink, and three canned goods.
“The beneficiaries were selected by barangay officials, who distributed tickets to those considered indigents or the ‘poorest of the poor,’” Niño said.
He estimated the total cost of the distribution at approximately PHP 30 million, with allocations proportionally distributed across the city’s barangays.
Niño highlighted that this year’s initiative marked the largest Christmas gift-giving effort organized by the city.
“This is the largest gift-giving initiative the city has organized so far. In our celebration of Christmas, we hope this activity brought happiness to their families this season,” he said.
However, the event also caused traffic disruptions in the Downtown Area as roads near Muelley Loney were closed to accommodate the activity.
Despite the inconvenience, the Christmas relief initiative was well-received, bringing festive cheer to thousands of Iloilo City’s most vulnerable residents.
