A barangay in Pasig City decided to just give a cash gift to more than 700 senior citizens in place of a Christmas party in compliance with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) directive banning mass gatherings to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Elderly residents of Barangay San Antonio will instead receive a PHP500 cash gift via home delivery for their safety.

Chairman Raymond Lising said the move aims to protect and minimize the risk of exposure of senior citizens during the health crisis.

“The safety of our senior citizens here in our barangay is our primordial concern, we know that they are the most vulnerable sector of our society during the pandemic,” he said.

In the past, Lising said, it has become a practice to hold a yearly Christmas party for senior citizens at the barangay’s covered court. Due to the crisis, officials decided just to give them money since large gatherings are still not allowed.

The barangay chairman said each of their 750 registered senior citizens will receive a PHP500 cash gift, saying that by giving them “cash, they can buy whatever they want.”

“The government is discouraging gatherings during the pandemic, and we are strictly following that here in the barangay,” he added.

The Christmas cash gift will be delivered to the homes of the registered senior citizens of the barangay, Lising added.

“Our barangay personnel will bring cash gifts to their homes. It will be a door-to-door delivery. Safety protocols will be strictly imposed in the distribution,” he said.

He reminded senior citizens to always practice minimum health standards and avoid gatherings where they may get infected with Covid-19.

In June, Barangay San Antonio also distributed PHP1,000 mid-year cash gifts to senior residents or those aged 60 and above. Last August, nonagenarian (90 above) residents of the barangay also received additional PHP5,000 additional cash aid to help them tide over the pandemic.

“The only qualification is that they need to be registered voters because that is the only way the barangay can validate if they are residents of Barangay San Antonio,” Lising said.

Before Christmas, the barangay had already started delivering 10 kilos of rice to each of their 5, 000 registered voters. It is Barangay San Antonio’s own version of “Pamaskong Handog,” the same as last year.

“We deliver our Pamaskong Handog right at their doorstep. Meanwhile, for those living in condominiums, we leave the sacks of rice under the care of building administrators,” Lising said.

“Para sa amin, ay maipadama ng barangay sa simpleng pamamaraan ang diwa ng Pasko. Kahit barangay lamang kami, responsibilidad namin na makapagbigay ngiti sa mga mamamayan ng San Antonio, bukod pa sa benepisyong makukuha nila sa pamahalaang lungsod (For us, barangay officials, in our own simple way we want them to feel the spirit of Christmas. Even if we are just a village, it’s our responsibility to give our constituents some reason to smile aside from the other benefits given to them by the city government),” he added. (PNA)