MANILA, Philippines - Thirty-two-year-old Crisanta Nicao could not contain her excitement while watching her daughter Christina join a parlor game during the Christmas party of The Philippine STAR’s Operation Damayan last week.
“Ngayon lang po siya naka-attend ng Christmas party (It’s her first time to attend a Christmas party),” said an emotional Crisanta. “Wala kasi kaming pambili ng exchange gift kaya di sya sumasali (We don’t have money to buy exchange gift so she never joined one).”
Christina, 9, is one of 53 children from poor families who benefited from Damayan’s “Mano Po Ninong, Mano Po Ninang” Christmas project this year to bring cheer to children who have been deprived in life.
Crisanta and her daughter, who live in Old Balara, Quezon City, were invited to the party by Rose Monsura, a Damayan volunteer and head cashier of The STAR.
“Nakikita ko silang kumakatok sa mga bahay sa amin sa Project 2, namamalimos. Naisip kong isali sila dito para mapasaya sila ngayong Pasko (I see them knocking on doors in our area in Project 2, asking for alms. I decided to bring them here to make them happy this Christmas),” Rose said.
According to Crisanta, they were forced to make a round of houses for help since her husband Wilfredo, who used to be a tricycle driver, could no longer find decent work after losing his eyesight a couple of years ago.
“Minsan naglalabada ako para sa ibang tao. Kapag wala po, napipilitan akong mamalimos kasama ang kahit sino sa apat na anak ko (Sometimes I do laundry for other people. But if there is no work, I’m forced to beg with one of our four children),” Crisanta said.
It was also the first time for 11-year-old Cyrel Abraham to attend a Christmas party. Just like Christina, he skipped Christmas parties in school because he could not afford to buy an exchange gift.
Cyrel’s mother Teresa sells merienda on the street on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City while his father Conrado is a construction worker. Their combined income is not enough to provide for their five children, although they manage to send them to public schools.
According to Teresa, it pained her to see her son not attending Christmas parties like his classmates.
Teresa was thankful that through Damayan, her son got to experience a Christmas party.
The children-beneficiaries of this year’s “Mano Po Ninong, Mano Po Ninang” came from Quezon City, Manila, Canlubang in Laguna, Silang in Cavite and San Jose, Batangas.
During the party at the Betty Go-Belmonte Hall in The STAR’s office in Port Area, Manila, the children and their parents had a grand time playing parlor games.
Damayan coordinator Emie Cruz did not expect the project to last this long since it started 15 years ago.
“Bong and I were thinking of a possible project for Damayan. He suggested that we hold a party for poor children,” recalled Emie, referring to former STAR photographer Revoli Cortez.
The two asked permission from STAR president and chief executive officer Miguel Belmonte to hold a party for poor children and he approved it.
Over the years, the project has benefited children of prisoners, pedicab drivers and scavengers, newspaper boys, orphans, and street children from various places in Metro Manila and some provinces.
Each of the children made their “wish list” of gifts that they wanted to receive on Christmas. Most asked for toys, clothes and shoes while others wished for noche buena.
Damayan will then get “ninongs” and “ninangs” from among the STAR employees who will fulfill their wishes.
This year, Damayan gave each child a pail of assorted groceries and fruits and treated them to sumptuous snacks from Jollibee and lunch provided by Damayan.
The STAR thanked TGFHA-LV for donating P100,000, Unilever Phils. for 50 packs of its products, Jollibee Foods Corp., and STAR employees who donated cash and gifts for the project.