THE DAY IN PHOTOS: December 23, 2021

ABS-CBN News

Posted at Dec 24 2021 01:24 AM

Here are the day's top stories in photos.

Siargao resident starts rebuilding house after Odette

A resident stands on the remains of his wrecked house at a village in Dapa town, Siargao island on Wednesday, days after Typhoon Odette barreled through the island. One week after the devastating typhoon, many of the affected have yet to be reached by aid due to the extensive damage in several provinces. Roel Catoto, AFP

Residents line for relief goods in Bohol town

Residents receive relief goods distributed by government workers at a village in Calape, Bohol on Wednesday, in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette. Aid started arriving in some affected areas devastated by the typhoon but some have been hard to reach due to the wide swath of destruction in several provinces. Cheryl Baldicantos, AFP

Health workers reiterate demand for benefits

Health workers of Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center hold a noon break protest on Thursday in Manila to express resentment over the unpaid and long overdue meal, accommodation and transportation allowance under the Bayanihan 2 Law. The group also demanded for the full provision of their Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) incentive worth P25,000 for the year 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Underwater dining with Santa

A worker arranges a table as divers wearing Christmas costumes perform at Koral Restaurant aquarium ahead of Christmas celebrations in Badung, Bali, Indonesia on Thursday. A group of tourism operators are calling on the government to ease requirements for entry to the island as the island’s tourism sector reels from the pandemic, receiving only 45 international tourists arriving from January to October 2021 Fikri Yusuf, Antara Foto via Reuters

Sampling the wares

A child plays with bubbles as people head to Carriedo Street in Manila for some last minute gift-shopping on Thursday as Christmas nears, in stark contrast to the previous year’s holiday season when the country was under strict quarantine protocols to curb the spread of COVID-19. Philippine health authorities on Thursday recorded the virus’ positivity rate at 1.1 percent, a slight increase from the 0.8 to 1 percent the previous days, with the decline of cases attributed to the country’s widening vaccination coverage. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Increased mobility, days before Christmas

People exit a mall after shopping as traffic builds up along EDSA in Quezon City on Thursday amid higher mobility, days before Christmas. Foot traffic in commercial establishments is expected to rise for last-minute Christmas shopping, as experts classified the capital region at “very low risk” for COVID-19 despite the highly infectious omicron variant. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News