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PUBLIC schools in northern Mindanao have been encouraged to hold community outreach programs, especially for displaced residents of Marawi City, instead of holding traditional classroom Christmas parties.

Allan Farnazo, Department of Education regional director, said public schools should opt for an “alternative Christmas celebration” where students, their parents and teachers are to conduct an outreach for Marawi children whose families are temporarily seeking temporary shelter across the region.

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In a memorandum issued to all school divisions, Farnazo said it is time to break away from the usual classroom parties, in which students would exchange gifts to celebrate the spirit of the Yuletide.

Students can also pool their resources and forward the gifts intended for their classmates to Marawi children, Farnazo said.

To motivate the schools, Farnazo said Deped-10 has organized a Search for the Best Alternative Christmas celebration. Winners would be announced on Jan. 9 next year.

At the height of the five-month-long Marawi crisis, schoolchildren in the region have already donated 3,000 gift boxes to soldiers and displaced children consisting of toiletries, canned goods, bottled water and letters of encouragement.

Over half of the 19,464 displaced persons from Marawi City have already returned home, said Jong Pamisa of the City Social Welfare and Development Office.

Only around 9,000 individuals have remained in the different temporary shelters in the city after the rest returned a week ago in 17 Marawi barangays cleared by the government, said Pamisa.

The evacuees who remained so far are residents of the so-called “main battle area” in Marawi that has yet to be cleared by the government for unexploded ordnance and debris, Pamisa said.

The remaining evacuees are currently enrolled in a 10-day cash for work program of the city government, doing work for an urban container gardening for a salary of P2,000.

Some 500 other evacuees are enrolled in a similar program offered by the Department of Labor and Employment.

Pamisa said the returning evacuees received P4,000 allowance as part of their starter kit upon reaching Iligan City before they proceeded home. Other items in the starter kit are hygiene kit and kitchen kit all provided by the national government. (pna)

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