Governor’s annual senior citizens Christmas program Dec. 5

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Lolo Administration’s annual Christmas Program for American Samoa’s senior citizens is set for the first week of next month and ASG agencies including semi autonomous agencies have been informed of how many Christmas gifts each should provide.

In a Nov. 13 letter to cabinet members, the governor’s chief of staff Fiu J. Saelua notes that it’s that time of the year again “where we will be sharing the spirit of the holidays by supporting” the annual Territorial Administration on Aging (TAOA) with the “Christmas event for our golden senior citizens.”

Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga implemented this annual program during his first year in office in 2013 and Fiu says that since then, cabinet members have responded “splendidly with lavishness exceeding expectations.”

Fiu tells cabinet members that the governor and Lt. Governor are filled with gratitude and appreciation for their “demonstrated commitment for this very important project” to the Administration. And there’s “no doubt as well, that our seniors are extremely grateful for the attention our administration continues to shower upon them.”

Fiu said his letter — again — expresses the governor and Lt. governor’s request for assistance in making sure that this year’s “Senior Citizen’s Christmas Program … more memorable than the last one.”

Each ASG agencies is being asked to provide a certain number of gifts to be distributed as Christmas presents for the senior citizens. The type of gift was not included in the letter, but agencies are asked “not to include fresh food” as gift items as these might spoil or attract rats and insects.

Fiu explained that for the last five years, the average attendance for the program has been 900. “We anticipate that the number will reach 1,000 or more attendees this year,” he said.

The Christmas Program for senior citizens is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5 starting at 9a.m. at the Pago Pago Youth Center. Agencies are asked to turn in their gifts to the Governor’s Office by Tuesday, Dec. 3.