Known for his love of children, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. opened the gates of Malacañang to 3,000 youngsters when he hosted the Sa Balik Sigla, Bigay Saya 2025 Nationwide Gift-Giving.

Riding on a miniature train, the President, accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and their son Vincent, greeted the children at the Kalayaan Grounds, which was transformed into an amusement park with inflatables, games, circus acts, activity booths, and food stalls.

The children came from various Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) centers and nearby barangays.

He told the children that when it is not the Christmas season, the Malacañang grounds look as serious as one can imagine.

“You know, here at the Palace, it’s all these, all of these are offices. When you come here when it’s not Christmas, you’ll see that the people here, those who work here, you’ll see that no one is smiling; they’re all serious because they’re thinking deeply. I give a lot of instructions that they have to do,” he said.

“Just now, when you children are here, you can see them all smiling, all lighthearted and all feeling the real Christmas again because we saw your smiles, your beautiful faces,” he added.

Marcos emphasized that even amid challenges, the Philippines can still feel Christmas.

“At Christmas, we need to remember our good fortune in life, our blessings in the past year. And the biggest treasure that we have here in the Philippines are these, our children, the future of our country,” he said.

He noted the children’s dances and performances.

“I’m really impressed, I really enjoy it. You saw the one dancing — I saw the little one, who is that? With feeling, we really get along,” he said.

“That’s right, enjoy it. We did this so we could see again the joy that Christmas brings, and the memories of our happy Christmases, too. And you children, you are the ones who bring that to us. So thank you and welcome again to Malacañang Palace,” he said.

Children as inspiration

 Marcos said as a public servant, the sight of children reminds him of why the government does what it does.

“When we see you, we remember why we work, not for ourselves, but for you,” he said. “That’s why we are encouraged, our courage grows, we become more diligent when we see you, you are the reason for everything we do.”

Beyond the transformed Kalayaan Grounds, across the country, simultaneous gift-giving activities were conducted in 56 DSWD Centers and 78 Department of Education schools for 19,000 children.