Marcos rolls out 2023 ‘Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya’

PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos yesterday opened the doors of Malacañang to more than 1,000 children, most of them from orphanages and care shelters, as they kicked off this year’s “Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya” Christmas gift-giving undertaking.

The roll out was held simultaneously nationwide.

The First Couple first launched the event last year, also in Malacañang, which the President had then said was reminiscent of the Christmas gift giving day for children that was held during the incumbency of his father, the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos.

“We all know that Christmas is really about the children. And we always have a Merry Christmas when the children have a good Christmas. Na makita natin ang inyong mga ngiti, na kayo naman ay ‘pag sinabing Merry Christmas ay may kabuluhan (We all know that Christmas is really about the children. And we always have a Merry Christmas when we see children have a good Christmas. So that we can see the smiles, so that when we say Merry Christmas, it would be meaningful),” Marcos said yesterday.

He said that unlike last year when it was solely held in Malacañang, the gift-giving event was also held in other parts of the country “para naman ay lahat ng ating mga kabataan ay makaramdam ng Pasko (so that all children can feel the Christmas spirit).”

An estimated 17,000 children nationwide were expected to participate in the event, which was held in 250 locations nationwide.

At least 1,120 children from the National Capital Region (NCR) received the early Christmas gifts, along with 449 children at the Cebu Technological University in Cebu City; 600 kids at the University of Mindanao – Matina Campus in Davao del Sur; and over 14,867 children in other satellite centers across the country.

The Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya gift-giving activity was organized by the Office of the President through the Social Secretary’s Office, together with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and private groups, including Jollibee and San Miguel Corporation.

The President acknowledged the organizers and groups that supported the event, along with the parents, guardians and caregivers of the children who looked