President Marcos has urged Filipinos to keep in their thoughts and prayers the victims of the recent typhoons as they continue to struggle this Christmas season.

Marcos said this as he led the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Malacañan's Kalayaan Grounds on Sunday evening, Dec. 1.

"It is a joyful time for all Filipinos but as we celebrate, I ask you to hold a thought for all those people who, up to now, are trying to recover from the effects of the six typhoons that we suffered in 23 days. Many of them are still in shelters. Many of them are still in need," he said.

"And all of these people, let's keep them in mind and do what Filipinos do— let's help each other," he added.

The President revealed that his Christmas wish was for every Filipino to be able to celebrate despite everything that happened in the country this year.

"My Christmas wish is that. despite everything, every Filipino should feel, somehow, Christmas," he said.

"After all, no matter how many typhoons they throw at us, no matter how many problems are thrown at us, there's nothing that will quench the Christmas spirit in the Filipino heart," he added.

During the program, President Marcos conferred awards to the top three winners of the National Parol-Making Competition dubbed, "Isang Bituin, Isang Mithiin," by the Office of the President (OP), Office of the Social Secretary (SoSec) and Department of Education (DepEd).

This year's competition gathered 148 Christmas lanterns created by various public secondary schools. It aimed to showcase the warmth of "Paskong Pinoy" and the hope in "Bagong Pilipinas."

The program also featured performances by well-known artists in the country, including Jose Mari Chan, The Alice Reyes Dance Philippines, and singer and actress Carla Guevara-Laforteza.