BY ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
GOVERNMENT workers in the town of EB Magalona, Negros Occidental started the Yuletide season with a bang.
On December 3, alongside the traditional lights on as an official kickoff ceremony ushering for Christmas holiday in town, 300 poor kids were treated with burgers, fries and drinks.
It was meaningful to see kids in their amazing faces with some of them got to taste such food from a well-known fast food chain in the country for the first time.
It was heartwarming indeed.
The said Christmas treat was made possible thru the so-called “Ambag-ambag Para sa Bata” program initiated by municipal department heads and employees.
Riza Diaz, the municipal treasurer, said all department heads contributed P1,000 each while rank and file and even casual and job order workers chipped in P100 each.
“We used the amount we gathered to buy food and drinks for 300 kids from different barangays in town,” she said.
This was the first time for EB Magalona to have this kind of Christmas treat for indigent kids.
Mayor Marvin Malacon said it is noteworthy that government workers came up with this initiative.
“Sharing the blessings is the mantra, and it’s the essence of Christmas. But I thank the municipal employees for this one-of-a-kind outreach program that benefited the poor kids in town,” the mayor said.
He added: “This is beyond praise. At least they (employees) showed their hearts out for this humane doing.”
EB Magalona, though first-class municipality, is just a small community.
Aside from its tasty blue crabs, the town is known for its people who care for each other.
The town’s local festival called “Ugyonan”, celebrated every May 1, is a proof that, indeed, EB Magalona is known for the unity of its people.
The “Ambag-ambag Para sa Bata” is another attestation that unity has been part of Saraviahanons’ culture and way of life.
The mayor hailed “Ambag-ambag Para sa Bata” as another milestone in town that touches the hearts of the innocent ones. He hopes this will continue and become an institution in EB Magalona in the many years to come./PN
