President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Sunday called on Filipinos to keep in mind and help those who suffered from calamities in the past two months while celebrating during the Christmas season.
The President made the appeal in his remarks before switching on the Christmas tree lights at Malacanang.
“It is joyful time for all Filipinos, but as we celebrate I’d like is to hold the thought, for all those people who up to now are trying to recover from the effects of the six typhoons that we suffered for 23 days, many of them are still in the shelters, many of them are still in need, and all of this disasters, like I just came and saw some victims of fires,” Mr. Marcos said.
Malacañang opened its gates on Sunday morning to nearly a thousand students from Luzon, greeting them with music and performances as the holiday season takes root across the country.
The morning festivity at the Kalayaan Grounds of the presidential palace in Manila was highlighted by the “Puso ng Pasko,” an all-Filipino full-length Christmas ballet performance featuring music and performances by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab and National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes.
Set to the evocative sounds of Cayabyab’s composition, the dancers weaved stories of holiday cheer to remind the youth of the deeper values of Filipino culture, community, and the spirit of Christmas.
From the joyful Simbang Gabi (Dawn Mass) to the touching Noche Buena (Christmas Eve feast) scenes, the performance captured the collective experience of a Filipino Christmas and encapsulated the essence of true friendship.
“My experience here is really, really good. I really liked it because my sister also dances. I felt the spirit of Christmas through the dance na napanood ko ngayon (that I’ve just witnessed),” Shee Anne of Pasay City North High School said after the performance.
For Alina of San Juan National High School, the performance also evoked the true spirit of friendship.
“I showed here how our country celebrates Christmas. As culture is showcased while experiencing Christmas, the performance also showed the celebration of friendship,” she shared.
Alongside the main event, food stalls lined the Kalayaan Grounds, offering free snacks and treats to the attendees.
During the program, the President 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 which were made out of recyclable materials created by various public secondary schools.
It aims to showcase the warmth of ‘Paskong Pinoy’ and the hope in ‘Bagong Pilipinas.’