My first Christmas in the Philippines

I love how the Philippines celebrates Christmas for months, with the ‘-ber’ months and a series of religious events leading up to Christmas Day. And in the true spirit of Christmas, it is also clear that Christmas in the Philippines is time for communities to look out for those who are most in need. Dear friends,

It feels like it was only yesterday that I wrote my very first letter to you in August with a cheerful “Mabuhay!” It is hard to believe that Christmas is only a few days away. What is not hard to see and feel though is the wonderful Christmas spirit that is all around us in the Philippines.

Growing up in South Korea, Christmas was not a big deal in my family. It was the day when we went to a local cinema with our relatives because everyone had a day off. It would often rain and, if we were lucky, even snow once in a while.

Then, when my family moved to Australia, Christmas took on a whole new meaning, thanks to a kind Korean Australian minister who helped us settle into our new and, at times, challenging life in Australia. We all became Christians and going to a Korean community church every Sunday became an important part of our lives. So, needless to say, Christmas became an occasion when the whole church community came together to prepare for the much-anticipated Christmas Eve midnight and Christmas Day masses.

I remember my Christmases changed when I became a mum. Christmases were all about getting a Christmas tree up, buying and wrapping presents for under the tree and for secret Santa to ‘deliver’ on Christmas Eve while kids were asleep, going to the beach, having big Aussie barbeques with families and friends and waking up to very excited little boys who couldn’t wait to open their presents on Christmas Day.

I am lucky to have many fond memories of Christmas.

But now that I’m in the Philippines, celebrating my very first Christmas here, I can see that the best of my Christmases is yet to come! With all the beautiful Christmas lights on the streets, in malls and on houses; Christmas markets that pop up offering delicious food and creative gifts and the cheerful Christmas carols that can be heard from anywhere, it is hard not to get intoxicated by the exuberant spirit of Christmas in the Philippines.

Unlike in Australia, where the emphasis is on Christmas Day itself, I also love how the Philippines celebrates Christmas for months, with the ‘-ber’ months and a series of religious events leading up to Christmas Day. And in the true spirit of Christmas, it is also clear that Christmas in the Philippines is time for communities to look out for those who are most in need. In fact, the very first Christmas event I attended in the Philippines was an Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (ANZCHAM) fundraising event for SaferKidsPH.

SaferKidsPH is an Australian government initiative which is implemented in partnership with Save the Children Philippines, The Asia Foundation and UNICEF Philippines to reduce the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the Philippines. SaferKidsPH works with children and their families, the Philippine government, civil society and the private sector to ensure that children are safe and protected online.

In September 2020, the Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (ANZCHAM) signed an MOU with UNICEF, on behalf of the SaferKidsPH consortium, committing to supporting advocacy, volunteerism and fundraising activities to keep Filipino children safe online.

ANZCHAM has committed to bringing the conversation to its members’ respective businesses and in their employees’ own homes. With more than 350 ANZCHAM member-companies, ANZCHAM has an important role to play in educating its members on how the private sector can create a safer online environment for every child.

Since then, ANZCHAM has been working hard to raise the awareness of its members on this issue, promoting child-sensitive business practices and supporting safe spaces and practices in schools and communities. They have also run two fundraising events around Christmas time.

Standing in front of ANZCHAM members and guests who turned up in huge numbers to celebrate Christmas together and support this good cause, I was struck by the wonderful friendship and generous spirit that our two countries share. With the generous donations from so many organizations and people, ANZCHAM raised P826,500 for SaferKidsPH that night! What the ANZCHAM Board managed to put together, led by their wonderful president, Daniel Alexander, was truly outstanding. It was Christmas spirit in full action.

Buoyed by this warm feeling of giving and sharing, I’m really looking forward to celebrating my first Christmas in the Philippines with my family and new friends. Maligayang Pasko! I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Yours truly,

HK

*      *      *

HK Yu PSM, is the Australian Ambassador-designate to the Philippines. You can follow Ambassador-designate Yu on Twitter: @AusAmbPH.