The Pasig City government has started the house-to-house distribution of the ‘pamaskong handog’ gift bags to its residents on Saturday.

Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto said the distribution of the ‘pamaskong handog’ for each family will be done house-to-house to avoid the crowding of people that can cause Covid-19 transmission.

Residents will just have to present their PasigPass quick response (QR) code—a contact tracing solution, and one proof of identity, upon receiving the Christmas gift bags.

“Sa gitna ng maraming pagsubok, sa gitna ng pandemya, ipadama pa rin natin sa isa’t isa ang tunay na diwa ng Pasko, na nagbunga sa pagmamahal at pagpapatawad sa atin ng Diyos (Amid many trials and the pandemic, let us make one another feel the true spirit of Christmas that resulted to God’s love and forgiveness for us),” Sotto said.

Sotto kicked off the distribution of gift bags in barangays Bagong Katipunan, Kapasigan, Kapitolyo, Oranbo, Sagad, San Antonio, San Jose, San Nicolas, Sumilang, Sta. Cruz, Sta. Rosa, Sto. Tomasa and Ugong.

The city government said it will post the daily schedule of the gift bags distribution which will be held house-to-house.

Sotto said the “pamaskong handog” delivery team was subjected to PCR (polymerase chain reaction) swab tests to ensure the safety of residents during the distribution.

“Medyo malungkot dahil bawal muna ang mga party. Nandyan pa rin ang banta ng Covid-19 (It’s a bit sad because parties are temporarily prohibited. The threat of Covid-19 is still here),” Sotto said. “Pero gagawin natin ang lahat para maging masaya pa rin sa Pasig ngayong Kapaskuhan (But we will do everything to ensure that Christmas will still be merry in Pasig).”

Based on the cost breakdown recently shared by Sotto on his social media accounts, the city government has allotted some PHP203,724,000 to produce around 360,000 “pamaskong handog” gift bags for each household in the city’s 30 barangays.

Each gift bag costs PHP565.90 and contains two kilos of rice, spaghetti, condensed milk, nata de coco, corned beef, luncheon meat, fruit cocktail, canned sausage, and cheese.

Meanwhile, the Makati City government said around 85,091 households have received their version of “pamaskong handog” gift bags.

The city government started the door-to-door distribution of some 240,000-holiday goodies in the first week of November.

“Our annual ‘Pamaskong Handog’ program aims to bring a message of hope and to rekindle the joy of giving among us this Yuletide Season. At the same time, it serves as a reminder that we still have so much to be grateful for despite the hardships brought about by the pandemic,” Mayor Abby Binay said.

The city government said each Christmas gift bag contains two Makatizen shirts, three cans of tuna flakes in oil, three cans of tuna flakes caldereta, three cans of corned beef, one can of luncheon meat, two cans of Vienna sausage, one pack of spaghetti sauce, one pack of pasta, one can of fruit cocktail, one can of condensed milk, one box of cheese, and one can of all-purpose cream.

The cities of Pasig and Makati also distributed face masks, along with the holiday goodies to keep the residents safe from the risks of Covid-19 infection. (PNA)