By Leilanie Adriano/PNA
LAOAG CITY — In the spirit of Christmas and gift giving, workers at the provincial capitol will again spearhead a weeklong Christmas caravan to benefit less fortunate families in the province.
On Dec.15-20, some provincial government officials and employees will be going around the province to distribute noche buena packages, food packs, educational toys, and even farm inputs to selected beneficiaries.
Kiddie parties at the village halls will also be organized to let the young boys and girls have fun while the gifts are being distributed.
The annual Christmas caravan has become a tradition for capitol personnel, as a way of giving back during the yuletide season.
Covering the 21 towns and two cities of the province, beneficiaries were identified by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
Included in the list are the so-called Millennium Development Goals (MDG) families.
The MDG master list of the province is apart from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the national government.
Most of the selected caravan beneficiaries come from the highly vulnerable areas of the province, who were badly hit by typhoons and other natural calamities.
Edwin Cariño, head of the Sustainable Development Center of the Ilocos Norte government, said this year’s gift giving program is “need-based,” meaning various commodity items will be given to different groups of individuals.
“MDG families will be given medicines and grocery items, while our indigent families will be given food packs. Some Day Care pupils will receive educational toys, and senior citizens who are celebrating their birthdays in December will be treated with birthday cakes, food packs, and the traditional singing of Ilocano birthday songs,” Cariño said.
Meanwhile, selected farmer-beneficiaries hard-hit by previous typhoons will receive corn seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, farm machinery, sprayers, and calcium nitrate for their plants.
