Mandaue City will continue distributing Christmas food packs under its Gugma sa Pasko program this year, but the number of beneficiaries is expected to decline as the city limits assistance to one recipient per household.
Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano said the city would push through with the annual food assistance despite austerity measures affecting Christmas celebrations at City Hall.
“Mao man to atong gisaad,” Ouano said in an interview.
This year’s distribution will prioritize vulnerable sectors, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and solo parents. However, households with members belonging to more than one of these sectors will receive only one food pack.
“One beneficiary per household. Dili na per sector. Pero mapadayon ra gihapon ni,” Ouano said.
The revised guidelines differ from last year’s distribution, which reached around 100,000 households. Under the new rules, a household with a senior citizen, a PWD and a solo parent, for example, will receive one pack instead of three.
The changes follow Commission on Audit (COA) observations on the city’s P55.525-million Christmas food assistance program in 2025, particularly the use of the 20% Development Fund to finance the expenditure.
State auditors said the city had not sufficiently demonstrated how the purchase of Christmas-related goods addressed a specific social issue, development gap or socioeconomic concern requiring government intervention.
COA also called for clearer identification of intended beneficiaries and adequate documentation to justify the use of public funds.
Ouano said the city would comply with the auditors’ recommendations but questioned why Mandaue was flagged when other local government units had implemented similar Christmas assistance programs.
He cited Mandaluyong, Pasig, Makati and Quezon City, saying some had distributed Christmas assistance for several years.
“Among gi-compare ang atong gibuhat karon kay first man to nato nga year (2025), gi-compare nato sa Mandaluyong, Pasig, wala man gani ordinance ilaha. Apil ra gyud sa ilang budget ug tanan sang household gipanghatag,” he said.
“So nahibong gani ta nganong kita ra’y na-flag nga kani sila nag-una na nato pila ka tuig, Makati, Quezon City,” he added.
Despite his reservations about the audit findings, Ouano maintained that the city would continue Gugma sa Pasko, which provides food packs for families’ Christmas Noche Buena celebrations.
The city government is also working to institutionalize the program through an ordinance that would establish its implementation guidelines, distribution process and eligibility requirements.
The proposed measure is awaiting its final reading before the City Council.
With the one-pack-per-household policy, the city expects fewer recipients than last year’s 100,000 households as it shifts to a more targeted distribution for identified vulnerable sectors.
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