Mangilao’s holiday tradition: mayor-as-Santa
Every single year, Mangilao mayor Nito Blas dresses up as Santa Claus to bring holiday cheer to the children in his village.
By KUAM NewsGuam - Every single year, Mangilao mayor Nito Blas dresses up as Santa Claus to bring holiday cheer to the children in his village. He wears his red and white Santa suit, waves near his office and passes out candies and toys. Blas says he's been doing this since his second term as the mayor, which was 20 years ago.
He says it's a joy to see faces light up during Christmas Day, sharing, "My carabao has also been here for the longest time. So this is the culture. The carabao, I don't have the what do you call it? The fire trucks? It's very expensive and time consuming, so my carabao is here to support me."
The mayor added, "I would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and for the support of the community."
The candies and toys were donated by various people in the community and distributed to the kids who stopped by to visit the mayor in his carabao cart.