Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has canceled once again the traditional gift-giving activity at the Duterte residence in Taal, Bangkal this year to avoid mass gathering of people.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Duterte family has been doing a gift-giving every December 25 since then-mayor President Rodrigo Duterte became mayor in 1988 as part of the Christmas tradition and extended in the past years.
“Wala pu’y December 25 na activity didto sa Taal house because we want to avoid mass gathering and we do not want to be the reason kung ngano naay mass gathering,” Mayor Sara said.
Last year, Mayor Sara canceled the activity due to the surge of Covid-19 cases in Davao City. The distribution of the grocery packs was assigned to the barangays from December 17 to 23, 2020, and beneficiaries were selected based on the existing lists from the officials of deserving indigent families.
“Same as last year, days before the event magbutang ta didto ug tao ug tarpaulin explaining kung ngano walay activity or event karong tuiga in relation to Covid-19 pandemic,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Sara also reminded that holding Christmas parties is also discouraged. The mayor said Christmas parties are not part of the MICE (meetings incentives conferences exhibitions) allowed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in areas under alert level 2.
The following are allowed in Alert Level 2 at a maximum of 50-percent indoor venue capacity for fully vaccinated individuals and those below the age of 18 even if they are unvaccinated; and 70-percent outdoor venue capacity includes venues for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE); amusement parks or theme parks; recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, bowling alleys, skating rinks, archery halls, swimming pools, and similar venues; cinemas and movie houses; limited face-to-face classes for higher education and technical-vocational education and training; in-person religious gatherings; gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, and funerals for Covid-19 non-Covid-19 deaths.
