THE OFFICE of the Vice President distributed Christmas packs to 5,400 beneficiaries during the simultaneous gift-giving on Thursday, Dec. 12.
Some 1,500 sidewalk vendors/ ambulant workers and 1,500 members of the LGBTQ community receive their gifts at People’s Park. Meanwhile, 2,400 children with special needs, parents, and teaching and non-teaching staff also got their presents at SPED Apolinario Mabini Elementary School, Bangkal.
Norman Baloro, OVP director for operations, said the office has allotted a package to 200,000 underserved and underprivileged sectors nationwide, with 20,000 in each of the ten satellite offices.
Bolero said the gift-giving in the city concluded the nationwide program of the OVP, which started in Bacolod last Nov. 16.
The actual identification of the sidewalk vendor recipients was finalized on Dec. 19 through a “first-come first-serve” basis policy. The LGBTQ organization, meanwhile, was asked to provide a master list.
“In as much as we want to accommodate everyone from north to south, ang nangyari kung sino po yung mga may pwesto na napuntahan namin sa area for five days, yun ang binigyan namin ng claim stub,” he said.
The activity was led by Usec. Atty. Zuleika Lopez and Asec. Lemuel Ortonio.
The director said it has been an annual activity of the OVP recalling that it started last year in the city with 25,000 recipients. This year and the year after, Baloro said, they are bringing it all across the country with satellite offices.
Apart from the Christmas packs given to LGBTQ, they also received gift certificates from the city government.
