As a popular song goes, “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!”
Along the main roads, there are pockets of traffic slowdown where local government unit personnel are putting up Christmas décor. At the commercial centers, the fairy lights already twinkle above traffic-clogged streets. Shopping malls are decked with everything about the season – Santa Claus, Christmas Belen, angels, reindeers, colorful fully-decked trees. The Festival of Lights has started at the Ayala Triangle Gardens and in the Ayala Malls, the light shows have begun. Christmas Tree lighting events are happening all over the metro.
It is time to think local. Buy local products for gifts. Check first if there are food and gift products from entrepreneurs in your community or workplace before buying goods online. It will not only support the small businesses in your area, it will create jobs for neighbors.
Think local also for holiday trips. Choose a local destination from the many tourist spots we have in our country. Boracay, Siargao, Cebu, Palawan, Negros, Batanes, Vigan, Laoag, Pagudpud, Baguio, Sagada, Banaue, Clark, Subic – and many more to explore. The jobs created by more local tourist traffic will give significant support to thousands of families. That can support a child’s education, needed medical procedure, small business venture, or house repair work.
Our local airports are preparing for the influx of passengers who come home for the holidays. At the Bureau of Immigration (BI), a two-month ban on leave of absence for its personnel posted in the country's international airports has been imposed from Nov. 15 by Commissioner Norman Tansingco.
“We have to see to it that our counters at the airports are fully manned during the holidays when there is a tremendous volume of international passengers arriving and departing at the airports,” he said.
The ban applies to immigration personnel assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other international airports like those in Clark, Mactan, Davao, Kalibo and in Zamboanga.
Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry personnel has been making the rounds of public markets to check on food products to protect the public from overpricing and products not safe for human consumption.
As decorating for the holidays is the major activity everywhere, households are reminded to check electrical lights for safety. After being stored for a year, it’s best to check the product for loose wires and the integrity of its connections.
For those who are buying new lights, the DTI through the Bureau of Philippine Standards recommends Christmas lights that bear the Philippine Standard (PS) mark or the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker.
Christians prepare for the celebration of the reason for the season – the birth of Jesus Christ. Church calendars will be full of activities leading to Christmas Day, many of those are gift-giving to the poor. Private organizations and NGOs will need more people to spread the joy of the season to the members of the community. It’s good to volunteer your time and talent.
Take more time to prepare for the happiest season of the year.