Laoag City – Continuing the spirit of gift-giving this holiday season, at least 1,064 families in the 21 towns and two cities of Ilocos Norte are set to receive gift packs from the provincial government.
Rochelle Gajes, acting provincial social welfare and development officer, said Tuesday they are set to distribute more gift packs to select senior citizens, persons with disabilities and single mothers in poverty-stricken areas on Wednesday.
Launched in 2011, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Christmas caravan aims to provide low-income families food packs for their celebrations.
”The selected beneficiaries of gift packs this year include senior citizens who are living alone, persons with disabilities who are affected by typhoons and other calamities as well as single moms who have not received any assistance from the government,” Gajes said.
Gajes said the selected beneficiaries are not included in the database of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the national government.
Every year, the MDG Christmas caravan composed of a team from the Ilocos Norte government would go to the different towns and cities to personally deliver food packs to the selected beneficiaries pre-identified by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
Last year, the Christmas caravan benefited 11,000 village frontliners, nearly 12,000 daycare students, and indigent senior citizens.
They received PHP1,500 cash assistance while the children got school supplies. (Leilanie Adriano)
(Source: Philippine News Agency)
