An official from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) said in a radio interview on Friday morning, December 29, 2023, that only the Marilog Proper, Salaysay, and Suawan are the remaining areas in Davao City that have not yet distributed food packs for the Indigenous Peoples.

“Na-delatar gyud ang pagpanghatag sa atoang mga IP, sa Marilog nalang man gyud, sa Marilog district (There was really a delay in the distribution of gift packages to the IP [Indegenous People] but the remaining area is only Marilog, in Marilog District),” Julie Dayaday, officer-in-charge of CSWDO, said.

Dayaday added that one of the factors that caused the delay was the lack of supply, due to the increased number of Indigenous Communities (ICs). The unpredictable weather also became a huge obstacle for the CSWDO personnel. 

“We are targeting na mahuman gyud ta ugma [December 30, 2023] kay para pang New Year na nila (We are targeting that we will finish tomorrow [December 30, 2023] so they could use it for their New Year’s celebration),” She said.

The activities of the different offices of the City Government of Davao also became one of the reasons for the delay since the vehicles that the CSWDO is using to deliver the goods to respective ICs are the trucks of the City Engineer’s Office (CEO). 

Unlike the previous years, CSWDO has expanded its distribution from three districts to eight districts, and some of the districts that have already finished distributing gift packages are Baguio, Calinan, Tugbok, Paquibato, and Buhangin.

The distribution of gift packages started on November 30, 2023, and is aimed to be finished by December 30, 2023. RGP