The Department of Education (DepEd) has called on all its offices and schools to forgo throwing extravagant Christmas parties in the wake of six consecutive typhoons which had struck Luzon.

“All DepEd offices and schools are instructed to scale down their Christmas celebrations, and may utilize the resulting savings as donations for calamity-hit communities,” Education Undersecretary and Chief of Staff of the Office of the Secretary Fatima Lipp Panontongan directed in a Tuesday memorandum.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had previously issued a directive for government offices to show solidarity with their countrymen who have lost their loved ones, homes, and livelihoods to recent calamities. Regional and division offices have both been entrusted to adhere to this directive.