ELYSPLANET

Can FranSeth Survive the Vertical Screen?

by Ely Valendez

After their film She Who Must Not Be Named struggled at the box office, Francine Diaz and Seth Fedelin return in a vertical streaming series on iWantTFC, signaling a shift in how Philippine love teams survive.

August 26, 2026

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Entertainment

People

Rey John Paul Sabado: The King Nobody Saw Coming

He finished Top 10 with no title in October. By January, he'd won a first-ever crown for the Philippines. Rey John Paul Sabado on the long way around.

People

Jose Carlos Paras Won a Crown. Then Came Adulting.

He's the first Filipino Mister National Universe. He's also 22, a breadwinner, and just graduated — turns out a crown doesn't skip you past adulting.

People

Kristzan Delos Santos Is Giving Pageantry One More Shot

At 32, Kristzan Delos Santos had already decided that pageantry was behind him. It had given him what it was going to give him: two international runner-up finishes, one...

People

Jacob Gomez Is Used to Almost Winning. Now the Philippines Needs Him To.

On September 19, in Đà Lạt, Vietnam, Mister Fitness Supermodel World crowns a winner — an annual international men’s pageant now in its fourth year. Three times, a Filipino...

People

Marck Marasigan: The Replacement Pick Who Became a King

Marck Marasigan had six days. That’s how much notice the Batangueño model and pageant titleholder got when the Philippines’ slot at Mister Celebrity International 2025 — an annual pageant...

Venice Grand Canal Is Manila’s Escape That Doesn’t Need a Passport

Published by Ely Valendez

Venice Grand Canal in McKinley Hill gets loud on weekends. On a quiet weekday evening, it's something closer to what it's actually selling: an escape that doesn't need a...

August 22, 2026

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Travel

Arca South Used to Feed the Country. Now It Sells the Feeling of One.

Published by Ely Valendez

Before it was Taguig's newest Ayala mall, this 74-hectare estate was a Marcos-era food terminal built to stabilize prices for Filipino farmers. Here's what replaced it.

August 19, 2026

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Travel

Apriel Smith Finally Gets Her Sash. It’s Just Not the One Everyone Expected.

Published by Ely Valendez

After sixteen years and two failed Miss Universe Philippines runs, Apriel Smith finally gets a Philippine sash — at Miss Charm 2026 in Vietnam.

August 27, 2026

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Pageants

Nicole Borromeo Has Chased Crowns. Her Next One Is Different.

Published by Ely Valendez

Nicole Borromeo's new crown got called a "downgrade" online, with fans asking her to give it up. Here's why Miss Worldwide Philippines might actually fit her best.

August 26, 2026

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Pageants

Six Titleholders Now Carry Mister Island Philippines. A Seventh Already Quit.

Published by Ely Valendez

ALV Pageant Circle finally named its male international portfolio Mister Island Philippines. Six kings are still wearing the crown — a seventh already gave his back.

August 25, 2026

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Pageants

Miss World 2026: Asia Rose Simpson Wins Head-to-Head Challenge, Advances to Top 40

Published by Ely Valendez

Asia Rose Simpson won the Asia and Oceania Head-to-Head Challenge at Miss World 2026, securing a Top 40 spot with a shot at an automatic Top 20 seat.

August 24, 2026

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Pageants

Music & Arts

Generational Tastes and P-Pop Standards: Why Celeste Legaspi’s BINI Critique Stirred the Fandom

OPM icon Celeste Legaspi sparks online debate after praising SB19 while expressing reservations about BINI, leading Blooms to defend the nation's girl group.

Events, Sports

The Fandom Olympics: What Star Magic Is Really Selling

Star Magic's All-Star Games put Filipino and Thai stars on the same court. The basketball was real — but the actual product was proximity.

Finance

Judy Ann Santos Knows That a Career Needs Managing, Too

Judy Ann Santos plays a talent manager on HBO Max. Off screen, she has quietly managed her own money for 30 years — jewelry, insurance, a restaurant.

Finance

What Bea Alonzo and Anne Curtis’s China Trip Is Really Selling

Bea Alonzo and Anne Curtis reunited for a beauty-and-travel collab. The real story is what each has built to own, not just endorse.

Finance

GGV Is Coming Back to Sunday Nights. Vice Ganda’s Money Never Took the Break.

Vice Ganda's Gandang Gabi Vice returns Sept. 13 after six years off air. What he's said about money this year explains why the gap never worried him.

August 24, 2026

Elijah Canlas’s Next Role Isn’t a Fight. It’s a Road Trip.

Weeks before Elijah Canlas opens as a martyred activist in "Edjop," Regal cast him in a road trip comedy...

by Ely Valendez

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August 24, 2026

Piracy, Not a Favor. Cinemalaya Filmmaker Calls Out Newest “Distributor”

A fan-built database promised to make Cinemalaya more accessible. Filmmaker Dustin Celestino says it's doing that by linking straight...

by Ely Valendez

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August 16, 2026

Filipinos Are Still Going to the Movies. They’re Just Being Pickier About Which...

Metro Manila has spent most of August under Habagat — the southwest monsoon that floods the city’s streets on...

by Ely Valendez

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August 13, 2026

JoshLia Is Back. The Formula Complaints Came Back First.

JoshLia is reuniting for a fifth film together. The announcement clip had barely finished playing before fans started calling...

by Ely Valendez

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Theater