It’s two days before Christmas and through this piece, I will discuss a personal topic that is really close to my heart like every Filipino…ang Kapaskuhan.
It has been said time and again that the Philippines has the longest Christmas celebration compared with other countries around the world. This is why most Filipinos working or residing overseas prefer to celebrate it in the country. Why so? Since the start of the “ber” months, we started preparing for the holidays. We start decorating our homes with tall and colorful Christmas trees and garlands; hang our Christmas lanterns, set-up bright lights around the house, or even play our Christmas carols in our CD players. We also have this long list where we jot down names of people whom we plan to buy gifts as a sign of gratitude for being a part of our lives. As we count down the days to December 25, we start planning our menu for Noche Buena, and we start to feel the holiday rush of shopping in the malls or tiangge as we see people rushing to buy things for exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, online shopping may be a better option for majority of individuals, me included, since there’s no need to travel as part of basic safety measures in avoiding crowded and closed spaces, which could be a ground for contracting Covid-19.
Last Friday, December 18, 2020, we had our virtual Christmas Party at SSS. Unlike the previous years when face-to-face interaction was the norm, this year is really an exemption. Nevertheless, we still found time in the office to celebrate it in the workplace in a new normal setting.
For most employees, the holiday break is the best time to file a leave to spend quality time with our families. Like other CEOs in the government and private sector, I also look forward to Christmas as a respite from various meetings and appointments that I usually facilitate and attend daily. But unlike any ordinary employee, being the SSS President is also like a 24-hour job. Like medical doctors, CEOs are also always on call.
Nothing will really compare with the joy of being in the company of your spouse and children even for just a limited period of time. Though mine are already of age and have their own families, the time spent reconnecting with my children and grandchildren are priceless moments. At home, I am not a CEO but a certified mother and loving wife and a doting grandma. I appreciate the laughter and giggles of my children whenever we have our light conversations, as well as the playful antics of my grandchildren running around the house.
Looking back at the past months when strict quarantine was implemented in the country, I realized the importance of home, and time spent with my family. I began to appreciate how fortunate the generation of our youth today where technology is at their fingertips. Though we might have missed some family reunions this year, the mere presence of an Internet connection where you can browse social media is a breather.
Well, if I’d be asked, what I really think about Christmas? I will say it’s family. You connect with them in this Season of Joy and Giving.
Just like at the SSS. We value our SSS members and pensioners for they are our clients who have been contributing to the fund. As their family for many years, we protect them against all contingencies and give them back what they truly deserve…social security protection in the midst of sickness, maternity, disability, unemployment, retirement, death and funeral.
On this note, let me greet you all, Maligayang Pasko!
Aurora C. Ignacio is SSS president and chief executive officer.
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