Manila children, families get Christmas gifts from philanthropist
A Businesswoman played the role of Santa Claus to hundreds of poor families and children in Manila who distributed gifts, cash and grocery items to bring joy and happiness to indigent families this holiday season.
The distribution of Christmas gifts, led by philanthropist Virginia Rodriguez, was held in San Nicolas, Binondo, Manila to children who may not have the resources to receive gifts, but it also has a positive impact on their overall well-being and development.
Rodriguez was assisted by Fr. Douglas Badong of Nuestra Senora de la Soledad de Manila Parish, in providing happiness to around 500 families who were given cash aids worth P5,000 each, along with grocery items and toys to children.
Known for being a philanthropist, Rodriguez is the author of the book “Leave Nobody Hungry” that presents innovative technologies and organic farming methods to fight hunger in the country.
According to Rodriguez, she wanted to help the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., to make the price of rice affordable to the poor Filipino people, so she decided to write and produce the said book.
Rodriguez, who is also the leader of the newly organized group, called Agri Kaagapay, expressed confidence that the book she wrote will help millions of farmers in the country to increase their harvest, including rice, corn and other crops.
“We organized this event so that every Filipino, who are poor, can experience the Christmas spirit, and that they can look forward to a brighter future,” Rodriguez said with a smile.
Rodriguez said her organization’s top priority is support for the most neglected agriculture and fisheries sectors, which left Filipino farmers and fishermen among the poorest.
“Despite being a resource-rich country with an abundance of land and water resources, the country remains poor, and food security continues to threaten the population,” Rodriguez said.
“Aside from providing education to poor but deserving children, we will also provide health care assistance,” she added.
She said farmers are the most neglected sector that the government should be prioritizing, and any policy or law that it should be enacting should bear meaningful and impactful changes to improve their lives.
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