SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A two-story-high pineapple Christmas display adorning a Hawaiian-theme large Nativity scene has been lit up here as the free port ushers in the Yuletide season.
In a statement on Monday, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said the giant yellow pineapple decor is the centerpiece of the Christmas display at the Subic Bay Yacht Club (SBYC).
Wilma Eisma, SBMA chair and administrator, and SBYC Commodore Juan Miguel Macapagal Arroyo switched on the Christmas lights on October 16. It was the highlight of the outdoor displays laid out along one block of the free port’s main thoroughfare.
The attraction is an annual project of SBYC employees and has been getting support from some corporate sponsors.
“I am very, very happy to note that COVID-19 has not stopped us from observing this tradition, which has always ushered in the Christmas season here in Subic. And this is a very, very good sign because it points us to one direction—and that is, to try to get back to what normal is,” Eisma said.
Arroyo, meanwhile, stressed that the intention of the displays is to lift spirits despite the pandemic.
“For us, the lighting of the Christmas tree in Subic, specifically the Subic Bay Yacht Club, has been an uplifting experience spiritually because it connotes the coming of the Christmas season,” Arroyo said.
He added: “During this season, we are reminded of God’s glory. And we need it more than ever due to COVID.” INQ