The Makati City local government received on Friday boxes of meals and medicines from the Indian Cultural Association of the Philippines (ICAP) to be distributed to the residents.
Lawyer Michael Don Camiña, Makati City legal officer, and representatives from ICAP attended the turnover event.
According to the local government unit (LGU) and ICAP, the donations aim to bring joy and hope to the city's residents, as well as to symbolize the unity between the Filipino and Indian communities amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The donations are also part of the Indian's Diwali celebration last Nov. 4.
Diwali is a festival of lights and one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Newar Buddhists.
The festival usually lasts five days and is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika (between mid-October and mid-November).
Diwali symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance".