MANILA, Philippines - Grateful for their commitment to defend the country’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, Filipino migrant workers are sending Christmas gifts to soldiers deployed in the area.
Called “saludo (salute) packages,†the gift boxes contain canned goods, news magazines, toiletries and cigarettes.
Also included in the packages are movie discs such as “Saving Private Ryan†and comedy shows such as “Mr. Bean†and “Just for Laughs.â€
“We want them to feel their value as a warrior and to relieve their stress through comedy films,†said Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, chief of the Armed Forces’ 7th Civil Relations Group.
The gifts are also seen to boost the soldiers’ morale.
Cabunoc’s unit aims to send at least one box of assorted goods to every territory guarded by the soldiers in the West Philippine Sea.
The saludo package initiative started last year through the social networking site Facebook.
“My FB friends have always expressed their intent to provide support for the soldiers who are in the frontlines. Having experienced the hard life in distant posts, I was motivated to gather all these donations and send them to the soldiers in the field,†Cabunoc said.
Recent donations were forwarded to the Marine unit supervising the military troops in the nine reefs and islets owned by the Philippines.
Cabunoc said he had received donations from Filipinos working in the United States, Germany, Australia, Japan and the Middle East.
“This is on top of the donations sent by Manila-based Pinoys who also wanted to show their appreciation for the service of our soldiers,†he said.