DSWD, GTFI, Metrobank Foundation to distribute 10,000 bags of blessings

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will again collaborate with the GT Foundation Inc. (GTFI) of tycoon Dr. George S.K. Ty, and its sister foundation the Metrobank Foundation, for the distribution of the Bags of Blessings for 10,000 of the country’s poorest families this 2018.

Every year, GT Foundation and Metrobank Foundation partner with the DSWD for their yearly “Bags of Blessings” gift-giving activity, a tradition set by the said institutions in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

The BOB Project for 2018 will benefit 10,000 poor families nationwide, with the majority of the beneficiaries selected from DSWD’s Listahanan, a database of poor families.

The Bags of Blessings which amounts to P1,000 per bag is given to families who live below the poverty line, victims of calamities, Indigenous Peoples, and those who are not beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

The BOB gift giving will kick off on Feb. 16, at Lancaster City in Gen Trias, reaching out to 500 families, to be followed by simultaneous nationwide gift giving to poor families starting Feb. 17.

For this year’s partnership, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed by DSWD officer-in-charge Emmanuel Leyco with officials of the two foundations.

Leyco expressed the DSWD’s gratitude to Metrobank and GT Foundations “for their continued trust and confidence to the DSWD family as their partner for the Bags of Blessings Project.”

“The BOB Project is a welcome development in our mutual desire and commitment to serve our poor kababayans. We also laud Metrobank and GT Foundations for their other programs that focus on calamity response, health care, and empowerment,” Leyco said.

For his part, GT Foundation executive director Aniceto Sobrepeña said they were happy to tie up with the DSWD for the yearly activity.

“We are happy that every year, we are able to implement the Bags of Blessings Project with the national government like DSWD. Every Chinese New Year, we give out these blessings as we want our beneficiaries to also partake in the blessings received by Metrobank and George Ty, founder of GT Foundation. We choose to partner with DSWD because we want to ensure that those who receive the BOB are those who are truly in need. We are thankful for the partnership as we will not be able to do this without DSWD),” Sobrepena said.