President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos brought joy to more than 17,000 children from select shelters and orphan care centers across the country during simultaneous gift-giving events on Sunday.

In a statement, Malacañang said the First Couple welcomed more than 1,000 children to the Malacañang grounds in Manila for the “Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya” day.

Elsewhere in more than 250 locations nationwide, the gift distribution was organized through the partnership of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with private support groups of President Marcos that included Jollibee and San Miguel Corporation.

There are 1,120 children in the National Capital Region (NCR) who received the early Christmas gifts; 449 in Cebu; 600 in Davao; and over 14,867 children in other satellite centers nationwide.

In his speech, the President recalled his fondest childhood Christmas memories.

“Alam niyo noong kasing tanda ko lang kayo, maliit din ako noon, ‘yung tatay ko siya ang presidente rito. Kaya bawat Pasko, ganito ang aming ginagawa dito (You know when I was your age, I was also small then, my father was the president here. So every Christmas this is what we do here),” Marcos said.

Marcos also thanked the guardians and the parents of the children, whom he said should be most loved as they are the future of the nation.

“At alam naman natin — we all know that Christmas is really about the children. And we always have a merry Christmas when the children have a good Christmas. Na makita natin ang inyong mga ngiti, na kayo naman ay ‘pag sinabing merry Christmas ay may kabuluhan (We all know that Christmas is really about the children. And we always have a merry Christmas when the children have a good Christmas. That we can see your smiles, that you can say it’s a meaningful Christmas),” Marcos said. (PNA)

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