News in Pictures: December 14, 2024
HOLIDAY ECONOMICS
Workers at Bulakeñas Lechon (left photo) in Quezon City’s La Loma district line up their merchandise outside their establishment on Thursday.
Lechon prices have risen significantly early this month with the approach of the Christmas holidays. But adjustments of basic costs this month have been reasonable enough for consumers, with power rates going up by 10 centavos per kilowatt and gasoline the only fuel having an upward adjustment this week, as it was raised by 40 centavos per liter on Tuesday.
Not all establishments are exploiting to their advantage the spending impulse this season, ahead of the disposal of inventory early the following year when prices are dropped considerably.
As of Thursday, shoppers continue to flock to Manila’s Divisoria markets (right photo) where they can buy items for Christmas gifts at “consumer-friendly” prices. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE, MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
NOT AFRAID OF A JAB
Schoolchildren volunteer to donate their blood at Marikina Sports Complex where the Philippine Red Cross held a blood donation drive on Dec. 7, two days after International Volunteer Day.
This annual observance first declared by the United Nations in 1985 is intended to “amplify the importance of people-led solutions to our common challenges.”
Among the highlights of this event were volunteers forming the Red Cross symbol and a mass lecture demonstration on the application of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. —LYN RILLON
CHILDREN’S SHOW
Grade school students in Las Piñas show their enthusiasm as they join a street dance competition on Thursday as part of the city’s 19th Parol Festival, which celebrates the craft of making native lanterns, the uniquely Filipino symbol for Christmas. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
‘GREEN’ CITY TOUR
Biking enthusiasts and environmental activists on Dec. 7 hold their “Pedal for the Planet” tour in Quezon City to raise support for the preservation of the country’s resources, marine mammal protection and other “green” initiatives. —LYN RILLON
HOW TO UNTANGLE THIS MESS
Electricians of the Manila Electric Co. endeavor to fix a jumble of wires at a neighborhood in Quiapo, Manila, on Friday, after the utility company entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine National Police on Dec. 10 to crack down on electricity theft among power consumers. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
FIRE HITS OLD CINEMA
Firefighters try to release thick smoke from inside the old ACT Theater which was hit by a fire on Thursday.
At least three persons were reported injured by the early morning blaze, the cause of which is still under investigation.
The former cinema at the corner of Edsa and Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City was built in 1965, when new cinemas, notable for their architectural design, were also being built that decade in downtown Manila. —LYN RILLON
