DAVAO CITY — For Davao First District Representative Paolo Duterte, the holiday season is best felt and enjoyed when it is not centered on decorations and festivities but when love is at its core.

"What can be more important than opening presents this holiday season is the love everyone wishes for their families, friends, and those who need it," Duterte said.

Last Christmas and the incoming celebration of the New Year are more meaningful and blissful for many families in the first district of Davao as they already received their payout on the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers.

TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that offers emergency services for displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers, for a minimum period of 10 days, but not more than 30 days, depending on the nature of their work.

Duterte made sure that all beneficiaries in the first district, who can now physically get together and celebrate holidays with their families after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, get to celebrate Christmas and New Year blissfully.

The lawmaker's office said thousands of families from 54 barangays in the first district benefitted from TUPAD cash assistance. The First Congressional District Office staff distributed the payout to the beneficiaries before Christmas.

Aside from the distribution of the TUPAD payout, the First Congressional District Office also had a gift-giving program earlier to 8,860 barangay functionaries in the first district.

Duterte's son Rodrigo "Rigo" Duterte II led the gift-giving activities.

The solon's office said the gift-giving program had given a chance everyone to celebrate a very Merry Christmas despite all the difficult challenges everyone went through from the previous years until recently.

"With everyone's effort and cooperation, not only in my office, everybody experienced the real spirit the holiday season brings," said Duterte.