President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos lead the Christmas gift-giving tradition for children, dubbed "Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya," at the Kalayaan Grounds of Malacañan Palace in Manila on November 26, 2023. NIB handout/File

MANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday urged government agencies to “scale down” Christmas parties to save funds for victims of the 6 typhoons that ravaged parts of the Philippines in less than a month.

While the directive is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s push to have simple Christmas celebrations this year, the Palace will not release a formal document regarding this policy, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement.

“This call is in solidarity with the millions of our countrymen who continue to grieve over lives, homes and  livelihoods lost during the six typhoons that pummeled us in a span of less than a month,” Bersamin said in a statement.

“An official guidance in writing need no longer be issued because we believe in the kindness of our fellow government workers, whom we fully trust can unilaterally adopt austerity in their celebrations,” he said.

“We urge them as well that whatever savings they realize from scaled-down celebrations be donated to our calamity-hit communities,” he added.

Floods hit northern Philippines after typhoon forces dam release

Despite the push to limit expenditures using taxpayers’ money, the government “will make sure that the Christmas spirit will be felt early by all the affected areas,” Bersamin said, noting that this would be done through the distribution of relief goods and assistance, and the restoration of typhoon-hit infrastructure and livelihood.

Workers unload supplies at an evacuation center for those affected by Super Typhoon Pepito in San Vicente town, Camarines sur province on November 17, 2024. Pepito slammed into the Philippines' most populous island on November 17, with the national weather service warning of flooding, landslides and huge waves as the storm swept across the archipelago nation. Charism Sayat, AFP

“The true spirit of Christmas implores us to celebrate with compassion, to share our blessings, and to spread cheer,” the Executive Secretary said.

“Tuloy pa rin ang pagdiriwang ng Pasko, kasama ang ating mga kababayang nasalanta ng mga sunod-sunod na kalamidad,” he said.

Six typhoons pummeled across the Philippines between October and early November, leaving thousands of homes destroyed and millions-worth of crops and infrastructure damaged.

DRONE VIDEO: Severe flooding caused by Pepito

Marcos Jr. skipped the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summitin Peru earlier this month to prioritize local issues, including disaster response, Malacañang said.