On a typical day in Manila, a young professional might sip a cappuccino while scrolling through YouTube, catch up on Instagram stories during the commute, and check Facebook Messenger between meetings. This seamless blend of work, play, and connection is no anomaly—it reflects a national rhythm. According to the Digital 2026 Global Overview Report by […]

Balancing immediate urban needs with long-term climate and social resilience is proving difficult for city leaders in the Philippines, new findings from an Expo City Dubai global survey reveal. The 2025 Urban Readiness Report, developed with YouGov and based on a survey of more than 1,000 city leaders worldwide, found that 81% of Filipino officials […]

The Philippine economy is expected to remain among Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing over the next two years, supported by resilient domestic demand, easing inflation, and sustained government investment, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its latest report. Gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to expand 5.6% in 2025 and 5.7% in 2026, broadly unchanged from […]

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s three-day state visit to Cambodia, the first by a Philippine leader in nearly a decade, is being cast as “highly important” by Manila’s diplomats. But its real weight lies not in protocol or photo opportunities. The Philippines must prove it can protect its people from cross-border trafficking while also seizing trade […]

Thailand and the Philippines—both maritime nations deeply intertwined with ocean resources—are embarking on contrasting journeys toward blue economic development. While both face mounting pressures from climate change, coastal erosion, and overexploitation of marine assets, Thailand is actively deploying innovative financing and governance tools, whereas the Philippines is still laying the legislative and institutional backbone needed […]

In the South China Sea, diplomacy is often as turbulent as the waters themselves. Now, the Philippines wants to calm the storm with a legally binding Code of Conduct. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vowed to make this his regional legacy, pushing for rules that would prevent collisions at sea, halt island-building, and draw a […]

For the Philippines, the South China Sea is both a vital resource and a recurring flashpoint. Its reefs and shoals are not only rich fishing grounds but also gateways for energy exploration and global shipping. Yet the disputes that play out there are not driven only by geography or resources. They are fueled by a […]

Vietnam’s accelerating maritime construction in the South China Sea is shifting the balance of power in one of the world’s most contested waterways, with direct consequences for the Philippines as it confronts increasingly assertive Chinese actions in waters it claims. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported on August 22 that satellite images […]

At the grand stone façade of the Manila Cathedral, a figure carved from travertine looks serenely upon the faithful. She is St. Rose of Lima, honored across the Americas as a beloved saint, canonized in the 17th century, and quietly remembered in the Philippines as its secondary patroness. “Her presence at the cathedral reminds faithful […]

When China’s Chang’e-6 spacecraft made history last year by retrieving the first lunar samples from the Moon’s far side, it was widely celebrated as a technical milestone and a geopolitical statement of Beijing’s growing space ambitions. Yet buried in a recent paper by Chinese engineers is a striking detail: the Philippines, a much smaller power […]