GMA plays Santa to poor around Palace

President Arroyo yesterday brought early holiday cheer to thousands of indigent residents within and around the Malacañang complex with Christmas gift packs as part of the “Pamaskong Handog ni PGMA” program.

Twenty-two families representing the 3,300 indigent families in the 22 barangays in the Palace neighborhood received the gift packs containing two kilos of rice, spaghetti noodles, sauce, coffee, sugar and assorted canned goods.

Joining Mrs. Arroyo during the gift-giving affair were Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante, Philippine Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) spokesperson Dodie King and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) National Capital Region Director Thelsa Violena. The program was held at the Mabini Hall grounds in Malacañang.

After the gift distribution, Mrs. Arroyo took time to meet with and talk to the residents in Malacañang, and posed with them for group pictures.

The annual gift-giving program was launched in 1998 when Mrs. Arroyo was still the Vice President and concurrent DSWD secretary.

Early last week, she also led the distribution of various livelihood, farm production inputs, irrigation wells and food packs to indigent families in Saranggani province in Mindanao.   – Paolo Romero