2.5K children to celebrate Pasko sa Uptown on Saturday

The Cebu City Progressive Uptown Movement (CCPUM) will conduct a Grand Christmas Party for children on December 14, 2019. | Delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Children from uptown Cebu City will be celebrating a Grand Christmas Party at Camp Lapulapu in Barangay Apas on Saturday, December 14, 2019.

According to Dante Arcilla Jr., president of the Cebu City Progressive Uptown Movement (CCPUM), the program has been done on a yearly basis since 2007 in the term of the former mayor, now Vice Mayor Michael Rama.

The program was stopped from 2016 to 2019 in the term of the previous mayor, Tomas Osmeña.

Arcilla said the program had been making a comeback in order to jumpstart the CCPUM once again, which was aiming to help the uptown barangays in the city to develop.

This Christmas, the CCPUM will host a Christmas party for all 2,500 children from 49 uptown barangays including Mabolo, Kasambagan, Zapatera, Cogon Ramos, Capitol Site, Kamputhaw, Day-as, and other barangays.

This has been one of the Christmas activities in Cebu City where a party has been held for children. In the case of the Carbon Police Station, they hosted a Christmas party for street children in the area.

Read more: Street kids experience spirit of Christmas in Children’s Haven at Carbon police station

Tomorrow’s activity (Saturday, December 14), which will be held at the Central Command headquarters, is expected to showcase games and educational activities for the children.

The city government has allotted P500,000 for the event, while private donors and sponsors have given P1 million for the activity.

“The goal of the Christmas Party is to make the children happy,” said Rama in an interview on December 13, 2019.

The CCPUM expects all 2,500 children and the organization hopes this will give the children from the marginalized community a chance to feel the spirit of Christmas. /dbs