Davao City mayor Sara Duterte has barred the staging of Christmas parties and other holiday feasts in city government agencies this year to pool more funds for the distribution of grocery packs.
In her interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5) on Monday, Duterte said annual events lined for this year’s “Pasko Fiesta” would be deferred in light of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.
But Duterte assured that the local government would push through with its annual tradition of gift-giving for employees of the city government, children, senior citizens, barangay workers, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT).
“When I came back (as mayor) in 2016, I already said there would be no parties during December so that we can have a bigger budget for the gifts intended for everybody. What we only had was for the LGBT. But this time, there will be no parties and no events,” she said.
She said the city government would be preparing gift-packs for around 10,000 individuals, who will be expected to troop for the annual gift-giving every Christmas eve to the ancestral house of President Duterte on Taal Road in Central Park Subdivision in Barangay Bangkal.
“We still have traditional and yearly grocery pack distribution. We are still figuring out how we can carry that out while making sure protocols are implemented because our expectation is that there will be around 10,000 people who will flock to Taal in Bangkal,” she said.
She said the local government would decorate public spaces with Christmas decorations to keep alive the Christmas mood in the city.
Earlier, Duterte told companies and private offices that holding of Christmas parties amid COVID-19 pandemic would be “inappropriate”, urging them to show sympathy for grieving families and frontline health workers.
She said big celebrations could also be potential super spreader-events of the COVID-19 infection.
Duterte issued Executive Order 25, declaring April 17 to December 31, 2020, as a period of “mourning and vigilance”.
In the order, the city and national government celebrations, parties, anniversaries, and festivities shall be cancelled; commemoration of important dates and legal holidays should be kept short and must be done in somber tone.
All barangays shall also refrain from extravagant celebration of their fiesta while all founding anniversaries or “Araw ng Barangay” celebrations will be cancelled.
It added private parties to mark personal or family milestones should be kept low-key and modest, and should be limited to no more than 25 guests, while those who want to pursue big celebrations can do so next year.
The private sector was likewise advised to adhere to the requirements, recommending a food distribution, feeding program or financial assistance to their employees in place of grandiose celebrations to mark their important events, it said.