THE annual Christmas gift-giving in Davao City will still push through this Christmas, but it will no longer be distributed in front of the Duterte residence in Bangkal, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said on Monday, December 14, 2020.
Duterte-Carpio said in a radio interview that the City Government has restrategized the distribution this year in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
The mayor recently said the gift-giving was "put on hold" after the City submitted its proposal and waited for the approval of the national government to conduct the activity.
She also mentioned that organizers expressed concerns about having the gifts distributed in Bangkal, as minimum health protocols might not be observed during that day.
Based on 2019's count, the mayor said around 35,000 individuals, both city and non-city residents, trooped to their residence. The gift-giving has been annually conducted since the time of then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte-Carpio said according to organizers, it is impossible that health protocols will be strictly observed, including physical distancing, on the day of the gift-giving.
For this year, she said the distribution will be conducted in all 182 barangays in the city.
Around 38,000 grocery packs will be distributed, she said.
"Atong gihimo, gidivide nato sa 182 barangays and atong gibase ang grocery packs sa census. Diretso na barangay and sila na ang mag identify kung kinsa ang mas nanginahanglan sa grocery pack," the mayor said on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
(We divided it among the 182 city barangays and based the grocery packs on their census. We will be distributing it directly to barangays and they will identify the indigent beneficiaries of the grocery packs.)
She reminded the public not to go to their residence.
"Para dili masayang inyong plite ug oras, mas maayo di namo muadto didto sa Taal [Bangkal] kay walay tao didto (So that your efforts and time won’t go to waste, please do not go to Taal because no one will accommodate you there)," the mayor said.
The mayor said the gift packs will be distributed to the barangays from December 17 to 23, which they will, in turn, distribute on Christmas.
The city will also be spearheading a gift-giving activity for employees of the City Government and other sectors such as children, senior citizens, barangay workers and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.