News in Pictures: May 04, 2024
Occupational Safety
Laborers in a road project in Parañaque City continue their work on Sunday afternoon, April 28, amid the heat index recorded that day at the danger level of 43 degrees Celsius.
Construction projects in other parts of Metro Manila, such as in Timog Avenue continued regardless of the intense heat. Workers’ groups want the Department of Labor and Employment to uphold their right to health and safety, citing the El Niño weather which has become a health concern as well as the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Republic Act No. 11058), which was enacted in 2017 for the benefit of workers in construction sites and other high-risk workplaces.
Traffic Solutions
A jeepney with a sticker indicating its consolidation with a transportation corporation or cooperative waits for passengers in Quiapo, Manila, on Thursday, two days after the April 30 consolidation deadline for public utility vehicles. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said unconsolidated jeepneys and vans will be impounded after May 15.
On Friday, a motorcycle taxi passes along Ortigas Avenue in Mandaluyong City. LTFRB said earlier these vehicles may continue to operate, while the agency and a panel of the House of Representatives continue to evaluate their impact on the traffic situation.
Never too hot for prayer
Albay’s monthlong Magayon Festival begins on May 1 with a procession (top) of the Our Lady of Salvation, patroness of the province who is also fondly called “Inang Magayon” (Beautiful Mother). This was the first time the Marian ceremony was held off the coast of Albay, but the waters were hardly a relief to the heat index in the province recorded at the danger level of 43 degrees Celsius that day. But a devotee who joined the procession said she was not bothered by the intense heat.
At Quiapo Church in Manila (above), faithfuls attend a noontime Mass marking the first Friday of May. The heat index in the capital region was at 40 to 41 C.
Both sides of the masses
Antiriot police block activists holding a Labor Day rally outside the US Embassy in Manila. The rally turned into a clash between police and protesters, two traditionally opposing forces of the same social class. Six of the ralliers were “illegally arrested,” according to activist groups now calling for their release.
