For many Filipino consumers, buying a Louis Vuitton bag has rarely been about subtlety. The appeal lies in recognition—the reassurance of a pattern that announces itself clearly, carries global legitimacy, and, for many first-generation luxury…
Why Pop Mart’s arrival in Manila felt inevitable
Designer toys rarely announce cultural shifts—but the crowds usually do. In Metro Manila, long lines, emptied shelves, and meticulously filmed unboxings have quietly turned Pop Mart from a visiting novelty into a familiar name. Over…
Rizal beyond literature: The national hero as geodetic…
December 30 marks the martyrdom of José Rizal, a date often remembered through wreath-laying and recitations of his novels. Yet beyond the pen and the martyrdom lies another Rizal—one who measured land, drafted elevations, and…
CCP turns construction site into Christmas beacon as…
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is marking the start of Simbang Gabi by transforming its main building—now covered in scaffolding and wrapped in ongoing reconstruction—into a luminous Christmas landmark that puts the renovation…
Why Filipinos still hold Mary at the heart…
When the Vatican recently declared that the title Co-Redemptrix would no longer be recognized in official Church teachings, the ruling surprised many Catholics and quickly stirred theological debate across the globe. The November 2025 doctrinal…
Jaeger-LeCoultre partners with Filipino webcomic artist to tell…
Swiss luxury watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre’s latest Made of Makers collaboration foregrounds a Filipino creator: Cebu-based webcomic artist Olivecoat (Lily Mae Young-Catan) was commissioned to reimagine the Reverso’s origin as a vertical-scroll, archive-inspired webcomic. The project reframes…
The fire that could bring down Hong Kong’s…
Bamboo scaffolding was being pointed as the main culprit in the deadly Tai Po fire in Hong Kong. That accusation, made as flames raced up seven residential towers, killing 151 people, including a Filipino domestic…
The American who devoted his life to Filipino…
Most people discover their culture through school lessons, family keepsakes, or childhood rituals. Robert Lane found his by choice, devoting his life in the Philippines to a decades-long mission to document and protect a heritage…
Feast of Christ the King turns 100—and its…
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…