For a brief moment this year, the Philippines had something rare in the cutthroat world of trade policy: an edge over its Southeast Asian neighbors. When U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out his first volley…
How influencers are rewriting Philippine journalism
In urban Philippine households, the hum of YouTube notifications now competes with the evening news broadcast—signaling a sea change in how Filipinos consume information. Across Southeast Asia’s “social-media capital,” creators, not institutions, are becoming the…
Arxan’s green diplomacy on the Mongolian border
With a population barely topping 28,000, Arxan would seem an unlikely player in regional politics. Yet this remote city in Inner Mongolia has reinvented itself from a timber hub into a cross-border showcase for China’s…
Linguistic complexity in the Philippines’ earliest written document
Every August, the Philippines celebrates Buwan ng Wika, a month-long observance promoting the Filipino language and the linguistic heritage of the nation. Schools and institutions nationwide mount festivals and exhibitions honoring the power of language…
Why Manila is still the ‘Pearl of the…
This week marks 124 years since Manila quietly altered the course of its future. In late July 1901, it became the first chartered city in the Philippines under Philippine Commission Act No. 183. A week…
Coffee harvest from the ‘global golden belt’
High in the mountains of southwest China, a quiet transformation is taking root. Yunnan, a land once synonymous with tea, is now cultivating a coffee legacy of its own — one shaped by altitude, climate,…
The oracle returns: Descendants bring Jose Rizal’s fortune-telling…
What began as a cherished keepsake in a family’s possession is now a revived cultural gem, brought back to the spotlight by two remarkable women. Former tourism secretary Gemma Cruz-Araneta and her grandniece, Hannah Maxine…
How the Philippines and U.S. allies might respond…
If war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, who stands with whom? Long debated in policy circles and military simulations, this question is no longer theoretical. With tensions escalating across the Indo-Pacific, the prospect of…
Duterte may be released, return home — Kaufman
Former president Rodrigo Duterte may soon be released and allowed to return to the Philippines, his lawyer said, raising the prospect of a temporary homecoming amid ongoing legal proceedings overseas. The possibility hinges on a…
Marcos vows crackdown on flood control corruption
By combining a public shaming with a sweeping promise of prosecution, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered one of the most scathing moments of his presidency during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), warning…