When Taiwanese national Justin Liu began exploring the Philippines more than a decade ago, he never imagined he would become the first known foreigner to set foot in all 82 of its provinces. His milestone—quietly built over 15 years—will be…
“Dalifornication” is the kind of phrase that sticks because it captures a cultural mood as much as a place. The Economist’s recent description of young Chinese “Dalifornia dreamin’” has turned the ancient city of Dali in Yunnan into shorthand for…
A Filipino political scientist warned that the Philippines is recalibrating its foreign policy under pressure, navigating what he described as a widening trust deficit with a major power even as it deepens ties with Germany—a shift he said is rooted…
The Philippines is building a $15-billion airport on land it had to dredge from the sea — and experts say that same sea, along with sinking soil beneath it, could cripple the project within decades. The warnings intensified after The…
One of Manila’s best-known literary landmarks, Solidaridad Bookshop—widely recognized as “Asia’s biggest little bookshop”—is set to change hands as it transfers to the ownership of Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste, son of Senator Loren Legarda. The sale aims to…
Visitors arriving at the Cangjie Temple in Baishui county often find themselves confronting an unlikely symbol of endurance: a cypress so enormous and timeworn that its bark seems to peel in geological layers. Local tradition holds that Cangjie—the semi-mythical inventor…
On a humid September morning in 1984, as the Philippines edged toward political collapse, a shimmering brass bell rang in Malacañang Palace—meant, its foreign keepers said, to make an entire nation “invincible.” The moment now lands like a surreal footnote…
One hundred years after Pope Pius XI introduced the Feast of Christ the King, the Catholic world is marking a centenary shaped by political upheaval, cultural tension, and a debate over the place of faith in public life. Created in…
The Best Hotels & Resorts Awards returned to Washington, D.C. this year with a singular focus: celebrating the hospitality brands shaping what travel will look and feel like in the decade ahead. In a city known for diplomacy and gravitas,…
One of Manila’s oldest Protestant congregations traces its beginnings to a modest Presbyterian mission that grew into the Ellinwood Malate Church, a landmark shaped by American initiative, Filipino leadership, and the upheavals of war. The church was formally organized in…
