PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos yesterday opened the doors of Malacañang to more than 1,000 children, most of them from orphanages and care shelters, as they kicked off this year’s “Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya” Christmas gift-giving undertaking.
The roll out was held simultaneously nationwide.
The First Couple first launched the event last year, also in Malacañang, which the President had then said was reminiscent of the Christmas gift giving day for children that was held during the incumbency of his father, the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos.
“We all know that Christmas is really about the children. And we always have a Merry Christmas when the children have a good Christmas. Na makita natin ang inyong mga ngiti, na kayo naman ay ‘pag sinabing Merry Christmas ay may kabuluhan (We all know that Christmas is really about the children. And we always have a Merry Christmas when we see children have a good Christmas. So that we can see the smiles, so that when we say Merry Christmas, it would be meaningful),” Marcos said yesterday.
He said that unlike last year when it was solely held in Malacañang, the gift-giving event was also held in other parts of the country “para naman ay lahat ng ating mga kabataan ay makaramdam ng Pasko (so that all children can feel the Christmas spirit).”
An estimated 17,000 children nationwide were expected to participate in the event, which was held in 250 locations nationwide.
At least 1,120 children from the National Capital Region (NCR) received the early Christmas gifts, along with 449 children at the Cebu Technological University in Cebu City; 600 kids at the University of Mindanao – Matina Campus in Davao del Sur; and over 14,867 children in other satellite centers across the country.
The Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya gift-giving activity was organized by the Office of the President through the Social Secretary’s Office, together with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and private groups, including Jollibee and San Miguel Corporation.
The President acknowledged the organizers and groups that supported the event, along with the parents, guardians and caregivers of the children who looked after them.
Marcos emphasized that the children are the future of the country.
Prior to the event, the First Couple also led the Christmas tree lighting in Malacañang on Saturday evening.
The President said the Christmas celebration in the Philippines is known in the world “and I think that is a good thing because I think all of us Filipinos, we take Christmas as a time for reflection and a time for – to spend with your friends, your family, your loved ones.”
Marcos also said that he believes that “Christmas is really for the children.”
“The innocence that they bring to these festivities really… The expression I’m tempted to use is, it blows out the cobwebs in your brain and in your heart and gives you a fresh start for the next year,” he added.
During the event, the First Couple led the awarding ceremony for the winners of the “Isang Bituin, Isang Mithiin” nationwide lantern-making contest, which was participated in by students from different state colleges and universities.
Batangas State University won first place and received a P1 million cash prize; followed by the University of Northern Philippines in second place which got P500,000; and Bohol Island State University in third place, P250,000.
All the winners also received laptop and mobile phone showcases while their respective state universities and colleges received photo and video editing packages, which include Gigabyte G7 Gaming Laptop with one year Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. The schools also received a Canon M50 Camera and 1 DJI Ronin — SC Camera Stabilizer 3-Axis Gimbal, and 1 Insta 360 Flow AI-Powered Smartphone stabilizer.
A special “online voting” award was given to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines after it earned the highest number of “heart reactions” on Facebook and received a P100,000 cash prize.
