THE OFFICE of the President held a gift-giving initiative as the Department of Education led simultaneous celebrations in select public schools across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao on Saturday.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara joined the “Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya: Pamaskong Handog ng Presidente Year 4” program.

Present at the main event at the Kalayaan Grounds in Malacañang were President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos. The program featured games, performances, and the distribution of gift packs to underprivileged learners.

“Kami ay nagpapasalamat na kahit mabigat ang hinaharap natin na mga hamon, kahit papaano, mayroon tayong kaunting panahon, lalo na kapag Pasko, na kailangan nating maalala ang mga swerte natin sa buhay at mga biyaya natin sa isang taon. Ang pinakamalaking biyaya, the biggest treasure that we have here in the Philippines, is our children, the future of our country,” Marcos said.

Angara noted that regional and division offices supervised on-ground activities in schools, including gift distribution and community engagement.

Each participating school accommodated around 140 learners for a morning of performances, games, and Christmas celebrations prepared in coordination with DepEd field offices.

“Bawat batang Pilipino ay may karapatang maramdaman ang diwa ng Pasko at ang pag-asa na dala nito,” Angara said.

“Kaya habang nagpapatuloy ang aming mga programa gaya ng feeding, tutorials, at pagbibigay ng connectivity sa pinakamalayong paaralan, mahalaga ring ipadama na may gobyernong nagmamalasakit at handang umalalay. Ang simpleng handog ngayong araw ay paalala na hindi sila nag-iisa sa kanilang paglalakbay sa pagkatuto.”

The event continues the Palace tradition of opening its doors to underprivileged children during the holiday season—an annual gesture that reinforces the importance of joy, community, and compassion, especially as many schools contribute to learning recovery efforts.