DAR-8 continues its tradition of sharing this holiday season

Employees of the Department of Agrarian Reform Regional Office 8 distributed bags of “pang-noche buena” items to more than 40 households in Barangay Banawang, Tunga, Leyte on December 16, 2020.

          TUNGA, Leyte – Some 40 households in a remote village in this town will somehow celebrate with joy on Christmas eve as they received a bag of “pang-noche buena” items from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

          With the help of barangay officials and teachers in the area, personnel of the Support to Operations Division of the DAR Regional Office-8, headed by Regional Chief Admin Officer, Ma. Fe Castro, distributed on Wednesday, December 16, bags of “pang-noche buena” items in Barangay Banawang, a village six kilometers away from the national highway, which crosses a river and a mountain.

          Aside from the excited housewives who received the said items, some 60 children in the area also received goodies and toys for them to feel the spirit of Christmas.

          But before distributing the Christmas presents, the DAR employees instill to the residents in the area, both adults and children, the importance of social distancing and wearing of face masks to contain the spread of the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), thus facemasks were likewise provided to those who were not wearing it.

Josefina Amande (left) of the Department of Agrarian Reform Regional Office No. 8 turns over bags of hygiene kits for the persons deprived of liberty at the Tacloban City Jail’s Female Dorm to Warden J/INSP Fe Reynalda Chan (right).

          A day before, the Legal Division of the same office, headed by Legal Chief, Atty. Christopher Ryan Rosal, opted to distribute food packs to 40 children living at the Tacloban City by-pass road.

          Yesterday, the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP) Division, headed by ARBDSP chief, Melecia Ong, chose the 39 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) at the Tacloban City Jail’s Women’s Dorm as beneficiaries of hygiene kits.

          Meanwhile, the Land Tenure Service (LTS) Division, headed by LTS Chief, Francis Diloy, distributed food packs and goodies today to children living in Barangay 74 also in Tacloban City.

          Regional Director Ismael Aya-ay said, DAR-8 will continue its tradition of sharing something out of personal generosity especially to the less fortunate this season of giving with or without pandemic. (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)