It is not important if the Christmas celebration is big or fancy because the season is, in fact, about spending time with your loved ones and giving forgiveness, Vice President Sara Duterte said.
At the ceremonial lighting of a 42-foot Christmas tree in Laguna on Thursday night, Duterte also said what is important in celebrating Christmas is that "we, our loved ones and our family are happy and we forgive those who have wronged us."
"Yan talaga yung tema ng pasko— pagmamahal, pagpapatawad, pagbibigay, (That's the theme of Christmas—love, forgiveness, giving) kindness," she said.
"'Yan din yung message natin sa ating mga kababayan dahil ang pananawagan natin ay unity kaya meron ding kalakip yon ng pagpapatawad hindi lang sa pulitika but even sa personal lives natin (That's also my message to my fellow: the call for unity because it also entails forgiveness not only in the area of politics but also in our personal lives)— working together with our neighbors, with our officemates, with our family," she added in an eventual interview with reporters.
The Vice President then thanked Laguna residents for supporting her and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the elections as well as for supporting her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
As chief of the Department of Education, she also called on the parents to instill the value of education to their children.