News in Pictures: December 15, 2024
MILESTONE IN THEIR LIVES
Charmaine Arce Gabelo (in purple shirt) embraces her mother, Cecilia, upon learning that she had passed the bar exam, while a joyful Edwardo Dolfo carries his daughter Anne Nicole (above right), who also became one of the country’s new lawyers on that fortuitous Friday the 13th.
Gabelo, 43, studied law at the Philippine Christian University in Dasmariñas, Cavite, after working as a seafarer for 12 years. Her children, including 20-year-old son Aries, also shared on social media their mother’s milestone on Friday.
Dolfo is one of 169 new lawyers from the Ateneo de Manila University. She considers her training with the Ateneo Human Rights Center during her first year of law studies as a crucial step to her exam preparations. —RICHARD A. REYES
WHY BUY MORE CHRISTMAS DECOR?
Members of EcoWaste Coalition on Saturday present DIY decorations made of discarded materials, including egg cartons, electronic parts, fabric scraps, plastic bottles and tin cans, during an activity in Intramuros, Manila, calling for zero waste and a toxic-free Christmas. —RICHARD A. REYES
REMEMBERING ‘DA KING’
Sen. Grace Poe and her son Brian Llamanzares visit the tombs of her mother, the late actress Jesusa Sonora (aka Susan Roces) and father, Fernando Poe Jr., at the Manila North Cemetery on Saturday, the 20th death anniversary of “Da King” of Filipino movies.
Poe was 65 when he ran for president in 2004 but lost to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, amid accusations of government cheating that erupted into a political scandal. He died of a stroke on Dec. 14 that year. —RICHARD A. REYES
WELCOME, NEW OFFICERS
(From left) Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and President Marcos on Friday lead ceremonies at Camp Aguinaldo for graduates of the Officer Candidate Course of the Major Services.
The one-year course trains enlisted personnel as well as civilians qualified to be commissioned as second lieutenants and ensigns in the AFP. The cadets are members of the “Katarakian” class of the Philippine Army, the “Sigmandigan” class of the Philippine Air Force and the “Mangisalakan” class of the Philippine Navy.
In a light moment in that event, Mr. Marcos and even Brawner had difficulty pronouncing the class monikers, prompting the President to remark that “you are showing very good imagination with all of [these class names].” The President reaffirmed to the AFP his commitment to transform the organization into a “world-class force.” —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
