Friday | December 22, 2017 | 5:20 PM

One thousand two hundred fisherfolk from Taguig’s twelve coastal communities enjoy a festive Christmas party during PAGCOR’s Pamaskong Handog 2017.

Every day, 70-year-old Antonio Ramos braves the waters of Laguna de Bay to catch fish for a living. As early as three o’clock in the morning, he heads to the shore hoping for a big catch.

On most days, he earns P400 and when he’s lucky, he earns up to P800. But on lean days—especially during bad weather – there isn’t single catch.

Despite the hardships, Antonio and his wife Mercy have raised their children well from fishing. After all, it has been the main source of their livelihood. “Walang day-off, tuloy-tuloy lang ang hanapbuhay. Kapag hindi maganda ang pakiramdam, pahinga lang sandali, tapos trabaho na ulit,” Ramos added.

The couple’s hard work eventually paid off when seven of their children graduated from college while two are still in high school.

This Yuletide season, Mercy and Antonio received their much-needed break from work when the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) organized a festive Christmas party for 1,200 fisherfolk from Taguig’s twelve coastal communities. The event was held at the Cayetano Sports Complex in Bagumbayan, Taguig City last December 19, 2017.

Apart from the Yuletide merrymaking, the beneficiaries also received noche buena gift packs. “Ngayon lang po kami nakapag salu-salo ng ganito, lahat magkakasama. Memorable po sa amin ito kaya nagpapasalamat kami sa Pamaskong Handog ng PAGCOR,” Mercy said.

The event marked the culmination of PAGCOR’s Pamaskong Handog 2017 within Metro Manila. The agency’s Casino Filipino branches also spearheaded gift-giving activities in various areas nationwide.

PAGCOR spent P18.67 million for this year’s gift-giving project which benefitted over 14,000 individuals from 38 charitable institutions nationwide. Among this year’s beneficiaries were the PWDs, orphaned and abandoned children, senior citizens, street sweepers and garbage collectors, indigenous peoples, urban poor and the children or relatives of military personnel who were either killed in action or incapacitated from combat.

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