President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. expressed glee as he welcomed children in Malacañang on Sunday morning, December 4, for the government's nationwide gift-giving program.
Marcos was joined by the First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, in handing the gift bags to children from communities near the Malacañang complex in Manila.
The children serenaded the first couple with their rendition of the classic Christmas anthem, "Oh, Holy Night."
The President said he was elated to see Children in the Palace, saying they are the ones who complete Christmas.
"Napakasaya talaga at hindi kumpleto ang kahit anong Pasko kung hindi natin nakikita ang ngiti at tuwa ng ating mga anak, ang ating mga apo, ang ating mga kabataan (I'm really happy and no Christmas is complete without the smiles of our children, grandchildren, and all the kids)," Marcos said.
"Kaya't this is a very very happy day for me dahil tradisyon ito dati pa, dito sa Palasyo, gumagawa kami ng children’s party 'pag Pasko para naman lahat nakasiguro tayo lahat ng ating kabataan sa buong Pilipinas ay merong Pasko (That's why it's a very very happy day for me because this is a tradition in the Palace. We have a children's party during Christmas so we can be sure that every child in the Philippines has Christmas)," he added.
The President made a similar remark on Saturday evening when he said that the government had done everything to ensure Filipino children could celebrate Christmas.
Marcos mentioned that the gift-giving event, dubbed "Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya," was being simultaneously held in 40 more stations in the country.
"More than 40 locations around the Philippines gumagawa rin tayo ng ganito para rin makatiyak na kahit saan sa Pilipinas ay nagawa natin ng paraan upang mabigyan ng Pasko ang ating mga kabataan (We're doing this in over 40 locations in the Philippines to ensure that we can give Christmas to the children in all parts of the country)," he said.
The gifts the children in Malacañang received were from private businesses and several government agencies and offices, including the Office of the President, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGOR), among others.