Provincial capitol employees of Catanduanes will skip the Christmas party this year. This was confirmed as the governor of Catanduanes has scrapped the traditional merriment in favor of a very noble purpose..
Governor Araceli Wong said in a statement that the savings by the provincial government from the cancellation of the party would be used to purchase foodstuffs which would be donated to the poor living in depressed areas of the province.
“I find it highly insensitive to be celebrating a pompous Christmas party when so many of our fellow Catandunganons are hardly able to eat a decent meal a day,” Wong said.
“I might be breaking a tradition started decades back by my predecessors but I deemed it right doing this in behalf of the poor people of the province who suffered the brunt of typhoon Yolanda, according to Wong.
The savings from the cancelled party could amount to at least P100,000 and Wong said she would add some more from her personal funds to stretch the reach of the donations.
The move is still part of the provincial government’s response to the aftermath of the recent super typhoon “Yolanda” that destroyed scores of houses across the island and affected the livelihood of many residents, mostly farmers and fishermen, according to the governor.
Under the same context, the governor has also cancelled the provincial government’s sponsorship of the Governor’s Night for the annual Christmas Cheers being hosted by the municipality of Virac, so that the money is added to the amount to be channeled to the poor.
To facilitate the donations, Wong said, she has tasked Ramil Soliveres, the Provincial Information Management Office (PIMO) chief, in identifying beneficiaries and will head the cluster of employees assigned to take charge of the gift-giving to the poor.
Actual distributions commence this week with priority given to those who lost their homes and means of livelihood to the typhoon, according to the governor.(PNA)
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