Baguio Santa gifts Muslim baby born on Christmas Day

BAGUIO CITY—The most popular man here on early Christmas morning was Santa Claus, who emptied his bag of 500 sticks of lollipops as he handed them out to children walking to church.

Children ran up to the jolly, old Nick (who was really 83-year-old Narciso Padilla, a veteran Baguio reporter), while residents and tourists took turns taking selfies with the red-suited man.

But Padilla had a much odder task Thursday: He was supposed to hand gifts to this year’s Lucky Christmas Baby, a 3.5-kilogram boy born to a Muslim couple.

Padilla operates a 41-year-old Yuletide charity program called Silahis ng Pasko, which has been selecting the lucky Christmas babies since 1986.

“This is my first Muslim baby,” he said. “I hope the parents don’t take offense. We give gifts to show we care for everyone, no matter what religion, especially on Christmas Day.”

The baby, named Jalil Euro by his mother Anisah, was born at 12:07 a.m. on Thursday at Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center. Seven mothers gave birth on the same day but Jalil was born first.

Like previous Christmas babies, Jalil would receive tokens and cash from Padilla, the city social welfare and development officer and donors who keep the Silahis ng Pasko running.

“The parents are poor. The mother is a vendor and the father repairs umbrellas,” Padilla said.

The parents preferred to keep a low profile and had asked not to be disturbed.

“Baguio has been changing. It has become a cosmopolitan world here in this city these days, so a Muslim Christmas Day is exciting,” Padilla said.

As if to prove his point, four college students from Sudan asked Padilla to join them for a photograph. “We don’t celebrate Christmas,” one of the students said when Padilla asked about their backgrounds.

Baguio’s temperature at Christmas dawn was 15.6 degrees Celsius, which was comfortably cool for visiting families who chanced upon Padilla after walking downtown Session Road for an hour.

Tourists, many from nearby provinces, have been frequenting the summer capital since November to catch the Yuletide chills. Those who arrived here on Dec. 18 and 19 savored the coolest temperature so far this month: 12 degrees Celsius.

Some visitors described Padilla’s lollipop treats as “breakfast.”

Not everyone appreciated Padilla’s gesture, however. Some mothers dragged their children away, apparently suspicious of a Santa who displayed a worn-out white beard and unpressed red suit that Padilla had worn for years.

“I don’t mind that [reaction],” he said. “In the end, Christmas is for children, and I saw their kids brighten up when they saw the [Santa] suit. That’s good enough for me.”