Marcos urges government agencies to avoid lavish Christmas celebrations amid multi-typhoons' aftermath
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. urged government agencies to avoid lavish Christmas celebrations after six typhoons battered the country within a month's time.
"Alinsunod sa panawagan ng ating Pangulo, hinihikayat namin ang lahat ng ahenysa ng pamahalaan na iwasan ang mga marangyang pagdiriwang ngayong Pasko," Executive Secretary Lucan Bersamin, on behalf of Marcos, said in a statement posted on Facebook on Nov. 19. "This call is in solidarity with the millions of our countrymen who continue to grieve over lives, homes and livelihoods lost during the six typhoons that pummeled us in a span of less than a month."
Bersamin said there's no need to issue an official guidance in writing, as they believe "in the kindness of our fellow government workers, whom we fully trust can unilaterally adopt austerity in their celebrations."
"We urge them as well that whatever savings they realize from scaled-down celebrations be donated to our calamity-hit communities," he said, adding that "the true spirit of Christmas implores us to celebrate with compassion, to share our blessings, and to spread cheer."
"As a people united by love for our fellow men, we can cast away bleakness as we celebrate in this season of joy," he said.
According to Bersamin, the government "will make sure that the Christmas spirit will be felt early by all the affected areas in the form of relief goods and assistance, of infrastructure rebuilt, and of livelihoods restored."
"Tuloy pa rin ang pagdiriwang ng Pasko," he said, "kasama ang ating mga kababayang nasalanta ng mga sunodsunod na kalamidad."
A record six consecutive tropical cyclones, some of which reached the super typhoon category, hit the Philippines in less than a month, battering several areas in Luzon and parts of Visayas.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, in its 8 a.m. situational report on Nov. 19, said the last three of the cyclones—Nika, Ofel, and Pepito—have displaced over 617,000 people. The storms affected over 495,000 families comprising 1.8 million individuals.
The estimated damage to infrastructure amounted to over P469 million, while damage to agriculture was pegged at P8.6 million.
