The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) here on Friday said preparations are ongoing for the food and grocery packs to be given to members of indigenous people (IP) communities in Marilog, Paquibato, and Baguio Districts.

In a radio interview, Julie Dayaday, supervising administrative officer IV of CSWDO, said the annual event has been the practice of the city government even during the pandemic.

The gift-giving is said to have started during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte as mayor of the city.

Dayaday said the activity will start in the first week of December, but for the hard-to-reach areas, the gift packs may be delivered earlier in anticipation of possible weather disturbances.

“It is already the policy of the Davao City government to distribute goods to areas where the IPs live. We are just considering the weather disturbances that may affect the transportation of the food packs,” she added.

Dayaday added that while some of the IPs have arrived in the city, they will conduct a coordination meeting with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and representatives of various municipalities with IP communities – Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur and Agusan Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte to address their needs, safety, and their transport back to their communities.

“Because they are here in the city and they are bringing with them their children, our concern is that they will be run over by vehicles, they also have no proper sleeping area and they have concerns on hygiene, so those are the things that will be discussed in our coordination meeting,” she said.

Apart from the gift-giving to the IP communities, Dayaday said that organized sectoral groups will also receive their gifts.

“For the sectoral groups, we will only distribute it to those groups that are organized,” she said. (PNA)