The Mandaluyong City government distributed a total of 350,000 Pamaskong Handog boxes to residents as part of its efforts in spreading the spirit of Christmas amid the social and economic issues the country is going through.
Mandaluyong City Mayor Ben Abalos, along with Vice Mayor Mechie Abalos and members of the city council and barangay officials, led the ceremonial distribution of the goods held at the City Hall on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Each Pamaskong Handog box contains rice, sugar, canned goods, and other food items.
After the ceremonial distribution, the city government said that each barangay captain will continue the distribution of the boxes in every household under their jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos, who hails from Mandaluyong City, joined the activity and distributed goods to several households at Geapson Compound in Barangay Highway Hills.
Mayor Abalos said he started the Pamaskong Handog tradition as a simple giving of goods placed in buckets when he became Mandaluyong's chief executive in 1986.
Before the pandemic, the city's Pamaskong Handog was annually held at the City Hall complex, where residents personally picked up the Christmas goods that were placed inside buckets.
The local government eventually decided to apply the "ayuda" style of gift-giving when face-to-face activities were prohibited because of the Covid-19 pandemic.