Taguig officials led the simultaneous lighting of Christmas trees in three locations in the city on Dec. 9.
Mayor Lino Cayetano, Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, Rep. Lani Cayetano and other city officials were present to welcome the Yuletide Season in Taguig.
The Christmas trees are located at the Taguig City hall, Arca South, and Mercado del Lago in Taguig.
Mayor Cayetano said the Christmas celebration during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is different.
Last year, he said, there was almost no celebration in Taguig, and this year, a surge in COVID-19 cases hit the city last September, which threatened to affect the Christmas celebration.
He said the COVID-19 cases in Taguig have gone down. As of Dec. 8, Taguig has 49 active COVID-19 cases including 16 new cases out of 52,292 confirmed cases, 51,804 recoveries, and 439 deaths.
“Taguig is one of the fastest to vaccinate its citizens. We have done almost 1.3 million jabs. Thanks to our excellent doctors, excellent nurses, and excellent health workers. Because of your heroism, Taguig families can celebrate (Christmas),” said the mayor.
As of Dec. 7, 688,950 individuals in Taguig are now fully vaccinated, or 79 percent of Taguig’s total population of 872,980.
A total of 788,650 individuals have received their first dose, or 90 percent of the total population of the city.
However, Cayetano warned residents that “we do not want to impose lockdown, we do not want cases to rise to the highest, we do not want hospitals to be full. We know what we have to do.”
He said people should wear face masks whenever they are outside their residence and in crowded places. He also said people should get vaccinated and if they are qualified, they should get a booster shot.