No Christmas parties, New Year's Eve countdown in Makati this year

MANILA, Philippines - To sympathize with the victims of super typhoon Yolanda, the Makati City government announced Monday that it will cancel Christmas parties in all of the city government's office as well as the traditional New Year's Eve countdown street party.

“I hope our constituents and employees are one with us in our decision to cancel the said events. Everyone must understand that it is not fair to rejoice while many of our kababayans are still grieving and trying to cope with the grim aftermath of typhoon Yolanda,” Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said.

Makati has been holding the countdown since 2004 and it has become a major tourist attraction in the city with its impressive fireworks display and free concert of top bands along Ayala Avenue at the heart of the city's business district.

Binay said that prior to Yolanda, the countdown was cancelled thrice.

The city government decided to forego the event in 2010 to focus the city’s resources on resolving the West Tower oil leak crisis in Barangay Bangkal, which also prompted a firecracker ban in three barangays within the danger zone. It was also cancelled in 2009 to give assistance to victims of a big fire in the city and the twin disasters wrought by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng on various parts of the country.

At the height of the economic crisis, it was cancelled in 2005 to make way for relief efforts for the poor residents.

Last Tuesday, the Makati City Council approved a P50-million allocation for the provision of relief assistance to various local government units devastated by the typhoon, many of which are sister-localities of Makati.

To date, relief operations are still going on at the Poblacion Covered Court, where some 54,000 packs of relief goods are ready for deployment to affected areas.

Last Friday, a total of 13,200 relief packs were dispatched to Tacloban City for distribution to different localities of Leyte.

Earlier, Mayor Binay appealed to the city employees who received their Christmas bonuses last Friday to share their blessings to the unfortunate typhoon victims.

Meanwhile, City Administrator Eleno Mendoza has issued a memorandum to all city officials and employees calling on them to contribute to the donation drive of the city government, in cash or in kind.

Mendoza said a drop-off booth set up at the City Hall ground floor lobby, manned by personnel of the Human Resource Development Office and Public Employment Service Office, will be accepting donations from November 18 to 22. All donations will be turned over to the Makati Social Welfare Department for repacking and transportation to affected areas, he said.

“We also encourage our officials and employees to volunteer their services in the repacking of goods after office hours and on weekends at the Poblacion Covered Court,” he added.