Giving it our best shots
MANILA, Philippines — As the Philippine Daily Inquirer celebrates its 39th anniversary, the Photo Section presents the 39 best shots of the year. The selected pictures show the depth of PDI’s coverage—from politics to calamities, hard news and even everyday moments capturing a slice of Filipino life.
Through the lenses of Inquirer’s talented photojournalists, we continue to serve as a witness to history, as the eyes of our readers. Behind every image is a photographer who braved different challenges to capture seconds of action, color or stillness that are worth saving. Wherever and whenever these significant events unfold, the Inquirer Photo team will be there to help tell their stories in the right, honest, engaging frame.
. . TO A MAN CARRYING A CROSS The Jan. 9 Feast of the Black Nazarene is held just about two weeks after Christmas, fast-forward to the passion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This image of the sea of devotees won the Silver Award for Best News Photography in the 2024 WAN-Ifra Asian Media Awards. —Richard A. Reyes
FROM A BOY HOLDING THE GLOBE . . . The Catholic faithful parade the revered image of the Sto. Niño, or Child Jesus, while carrying their own versions, in the streets of Iloilo City on Jan. 26. This photo won as best news photograph in this year’s Catholic Mass Media Awards. —Ian Paul Cordero/Inquirer Visayas
TOP THIS! Instead of mobile phone games, a traditional toy demands the concentration of these children in San Andres, Manila, during this hot morning on April 20. —Richard A. Reyes
YOU NEVER WALK ALONE A mother and her young son make their way into a conference on autism held Jan. 26 at SM North Edsa, Quezon City. —Lyn Rillon
BREEZY BUNTINGS A surplus of “abanico” fans makes for a cool fiesta on A. Rivera Street, Tayuman, Manila, on May 9. —Marianne Bermudez
CULTURAL HARVEST The Halamanan ng Guiguinto Street Dancers perform at the Feb. 3 Pasinaya Festival of the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City in celebration of National Arts Month. —Richard A. Reyes
WELCOME TO THE FAITH Around 90 babies are baptized at the Sto. Niño de Pandacan Parish Church in Manila on Jan. 14. —Richard A. Reyes
4 MONTHS TO CHRISTMAS It’s just Aug. 31 when this was taken at a stall on Kanlaon Street, Sta. Teresita, Quezon City. But as they say, it’s never too early for the Pinoy. —Niño Jesus Orbeta
IMMERSIVE MUSEUM A child seems to walk among the stars at the Space and Time Cube, an attraction in Pasay City photographed on June 6. —Marianne Bermudez
STAR OF THE SEASON Already on display on Oct. 9, traditional “parol,” or Christmas lanterns, are sold at P70 each at this Central Market stall in Sta. Cruz, Manila. —Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANGROVE TOUR A coastal forest in Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon province, offers tourists a different boating experience. One group gives it a try on Feb. 8. —Mark Alvic Esplana
THE GLOVES ARE OFF By now, Vice President Sara Duterte is unafraid to show this much hostility toward President Marcos and his allies. This is at the Oct. 17 press conference where she threatened to exhume the Marcos’ father’s remains. —Lyn Rillon
THAT LOOK She was jailed for nearly seven years because of him. Hence that look when former Sen. Leila de Lima and former President Rodrigo Duterte became seatmates at the Nov. 13 House committee hearing on his brutal, six-year war on drugs. —Niño Jesus Orbeta
MABINI RITES President Marcos leads the wreath-laying ceremony on the 160th birth anniversary of Apolinario Mabini, the patriot also known as the “Brains of the Philippine Revolution” against Spain, in Tanauan City, Batangas, on July 23. —Marianne Bermudez
ALSO GRILLED Like Alice Guo, Katherine Cassandra Li Ong endures hours of questioning in the Pogo inquiries. She’s back in the hot seat facing senators here on Sept. 17. —Richard A. Reyes
CENTER OF POGO PROBE Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac, Mayor Alice Guo faces the House quad committee on Sept. 19, the most watched personality in the Pogo investigations that started early this year. —Grig C. Montegrande
DEPORTED Shiela Guo, Alice Guo’s sister who was also tagged in the Senate probe of the now banned Pogos, arrives at the airport in Manila on Aug. 22 after being arrested in Indonesia. —Grig C. Montegrande
BANNER JOB Workers at a shop in Sta. Cruz, Manila, rush a batch on May 25, with National Flag Day just three days away. —Richard A. Reyes
AWAY FROM HOME A mural depicting overseas Filipinos, fittingly rendered at the Department of Migrant Workers office on Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City. Photo taken on Feb. 6. —Niño Jesus Orbeta
HIGH-VOLTAGE TASK Some jobs you leave only to a professional, like here on Lacson Avenue, Manila, on April 21. —Richard A. Reyes
‘ATIN ITO’ A convoy of fishing boats asserts that Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal is “ours” by staging a protest action directed at China on May 15. —Richard A. Reyes
TENSION AFTER ‘ENTENG’ Residents and rescue volunteers race against time to find missing loved ones in a landslide at San Luis, Antipolo City, in Rizal province, on Sept. 3. —Niño Jesus Orbeta
TONDO ISLAND INFERNO Residents and their pets have no choice but to find safety in the murky water as a fire engulfs parts of the coastal shantytown of Isla Puting Bato in Tondo, Manila, on Nov. 24. —Richard A. Reyes
NEAR MAYON, EVEN WITH NO ERUPTION A mudslide caused by heavy rains and traceable to the Mayon Volcano buried this and several other vehicles in Barangay Masarawag, Guinobatan, Albay, one of the areas hit hard by “Kristine.” Photo taken on Oct. 22. —Mark Alvic Esplana
DEFYING GRAVITY Hidilyn Diaz (now Diaz-Naranjo) and Carlos Yulo more than slaked the country’s thirst for an Olympic gold medal. The weightlifter ended the drought in Tokyo 2020, while the gymnast added not just one but two golds in Paris last August. —Photos by Sherwin Vardeleon
