Malacañang calls on gov't agencies to keep holiday celebrations 'simple'

Malacañang Palace reminded government agencies to keep their holiday and year-end celebrations simple amid recent disasters that devastated parts of the country.

During the Palace Press Briefing on Wednesday, Palace Press Office Undersecretary Attorney Claire Castro said that the call was made between the President and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

“Ilang araw bago ang pasko, pinaaalalahananan ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. at Department Of Budget and Management o DBM, sa Pangunguna ni Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, ang lahat ng ahensya ng pamahalaan na gawing simple at makabuluhan ang Christmas at year-end celebrations," Castro said.

(Several days before Christmas, President Marcos Jr. and the Department of Budget and Management, or DBM, under the leadership of Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, remind all agencies of the government to conduct simple and wholesome Christmas and year-end celebrations.)

"Bahagi ito ng pakikiisa ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. sa taumbayan na nakakaranas ng maraming pagsubok dulot ng sunod-sunod na sakuna sa bansa,” she added.

(This is part of the administration's move to stand in solidarity with the public, who are experiencing many difficulties due to back-to-back disasters in the country.)

Several areas in the country have been affected by continuous natural disasters in the past few months.

This included high-intensity earthquakes in Cebu and Davao Oriental and volcanic eruptions in Kanlaon and Taal, as well as strong typhoons like the recent Typhoon Tino in Visayas.

“Paalala sa mga kawani ng gobyerno, mahalaga ang pagdiriwang ng Pasko na may pagaalala sa kapwa natin patuloy na bumabangon at nagsisimula muli sa maraming kalamidad na tumama sa bansa,” Castro shared.

(As a reminder to the people in the government, it is important to celebrate Christmas while keeping in mind our countrymen who are still recovering and starting over because of the many catastrophes that happened in the country.) —VAL, GMA Integrated News