The city’s Filipino-Chinese community recently donated some 250 cavans of rice for indigent residents in 25 barangays selected by the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) to boosting numerous indigent residents.
Peter Ng, president of the Baguio Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (BFCCCII), reported that the donation was pooled from groups and individuals from the city’s Filipino-Chinese community to help indigent residents of the city gradually and safely recover from the serious negative effects of the prevailing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic over the past 10 months.
He said that the pooled donation intended for the city’s indigent residents is a simple way of how the city’s Filipino-Chinese community will be celebrating this year’s Chinese New Year as the annual activities for the Spring festival had been cancelled as part of the measure to contain the spread of COVID-19 cases in the city, especially with the emerging threat of the new variant and the downgrading of the status of the Cordillera from the previous modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) to general community quarantine.
Ng, together with other leaders of the city’s Filipino-Chinese community, formally turned over the donation to city officials led by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, members of the City Council and department and assistant department heads of the city government during Monday’s regular flag raising ceremony held at the city hall grounds.
In his message, Ng pointed out that there are still bright prospects for the city’s growth and sustainable development once the government’s vaccination program will be rolled out to achieve the prescribed herd immunity not only in the city but also in the whole country.
According to him, the ongoing health crisis had heavily impacted the employment, economic activities and sources of livelihood of the people and the best way to hurdle the challenges of the pandemic is for the immediate vaccination of identified priority sectors to pave the way for the situation to gradually normalize and contribute in efforts to bring back the vibrance of the city’s economy.
Aside from the donation, the Filipino-Chinese community also distributed memorabilia and ‘tikoy’ to the different departments of the city government as part of the simple but meaningful way to celebrate this year’s Spring Festival.
Among the Spring Festival activities that were cancelled this year include the annual gift-giving activity to indigent residents, the Chinese New Year parade, the recognition of outstanding Chinese citizens and the traditional Lion dance performance of the Bell Church performers and students of the Baguio Patriotic High School.
Ng expressed optimism that despite the setback in the implementation of basic health and safety protocols with the downgrading of the region’s status to GCQ, there will be significant gains that will be achieved in the coming months to gradually go back to normalcy. By Dexter A. See