ELYSPLANET

KisLap 2026: Ateneo’s ₱1 Million Student Grant Returns, and Its First Winners All Went to the Farm

by Ely Valendez

Ateneo’s KisLap gave three student startups up to ₱1 million each. All three ended up serving farmers. Year 2 doubles the finalists and opens to grad schools.

October 3, 2026

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Culture
The Philippines Wanted 8 Golds at the 2026 Asian Games. With a Day Left, It Has 4.

by Ely Valendez

Team Philippines set out for eight golds in Aichi-Nagoya. Eighteen medals in, it has three, two from Carlos Yulo and one from EJ Obiena, with Carlo Paalam and Alex Eala still alive.

September 23, 2026

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Sports

October 5, 2026

55% of Filipinos Have Life Insurance Coverage. That Doesn’t Mean You’re...

Life insurers collected ₱229.98 billion in six months and cover 55% of Filipinos. Here is what those numbers say,...

by Ely Valendez

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October 4, 2026

Lea Salonga Will Play Bernarda Alba in Theatre Group Asia’s Filipino-Language...

Lea Salonga will play the controlling matriarch in Theatre Group Asia's Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba, opening February 2027...

by Ely Valendez

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October 3, 2026

KisLap 2026: Ateneo’s ₱1 Million Student Grant Returns, and Its First Winners All...

Ateneo’s KisLap gave three student startups up to ₱1 million each. All three ended up serving farmers. Year 2...

by Ely Valendez

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October 3, 2026

Jeus Yape Ends the Philippines’ 40-Year Wait for an Asian Games Taekwondo Gold

Jeus Yape won the mixed individual virtual taekwondo final on October 2 in Toyohashi, Japan, giving the Philippines its...

by Ely Valendez

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Affordable Michelin Restaurants in Metro Manila: Seven Places to Eat Before the 2027 List on October 29

Published by Ely Valendez

Seven affordable Michelin restaurants in Metro Manila, from Morning Sun's ₱100 Ilocano plates to El Poco Cantina's ₱200 tacos, before the 2027 list drops Oct 29.

October 1, 2026

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Elsewhere

Why Manila’s Biggest Luxury Hotels Keep Missing Michelin Keys

Published by Ely Valendez

The Peninsula, Shangri-La and Solaire are Michelin-recommended but Keyless, while an 18-villa resort in Sipalay got a Key. Michelin's criteria explain why.

September 30, 2026

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Elsewhere

55% of Filipinos Have Life Insurance Coverage. That Doesn’t Mean You’re Covered.

Published by Ely Valendez

Life insurers collected ₱229.98 billion in six months and cover 55% of Filipinos. Here is what those numbers say, and what they leave out, for your household.

October 5, 2026

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Finance

Get Yourself Covered First. No Matter How Small.

Published by Ely Valendez

By law, every passenger on a Philippine domestic ferry is insured from the moment they board, for at least ₱200,000 in case of death. That amount was never meant...

October 2, 2026

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Finance

XPENG Philippines Prices: L03 From ₱1.548 Million, X9 From ₱3.858 Million, and What Launch Night Changed

Published by Ely Valendez

XPENG took over the SM Mall of Asia Arena on September 25 and priced four more variants than it had announced two weeks earlier, starting ₱510,000 lower.

September 28, 2026

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Cars

GCash IPO: What the ₱10 Ceiling, the October 6–12 Offer Window, and GStocks Actually Mean

Published by Ely Valendez

Most of the GCash IPO is existing shareholders selling, and the ₱10 figure is a ceiling. What If reads the offer before the October 6 window opens.

September 28, 2026

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Finance

Dominic Camozzi’s Superbods Run Started With His Mother’s Stroke

by Ely Valendez

Dominic Camozzi’s mother was overseas when she had a stroke, and he could only follow the news from a distance. “I was shocked, and being that far away made me feel completely helpless,” he tells ElysPlanet. Camozzi had spent years training his own body with real discipline. The stroke made him think about who else he should have been training for. “I hadn’t put that same energy into my family’s health,” he says. He decided to do whatever it took to help her recover, and to help her build habits that would lower her chances of another stroke. That decision shaped his run at Century Tuna Superbods 2026, the Philippines’ longest-running fitness search, now in its 20th year. The 35-year-old from Taguig made the men’s Top 8, and by the time our pre-finals rundown of the men’s field introduced him, his mother’s health was already the center of his story. A Park, a Dog, and a Set of Resistance Bands The first sessions were walks. Camozzi and his mother would take the family dog...

Exclusive Interview, Pageants, Special Feature

Jacob Kier Gomez Lands the Philippines on the Podium Again at Mister Fitness Supermodel World. Chinese Taipei Takes the Crown.

Jacob Kier Gomez finished second runner-up at Mister Fitness Supermodel World 2026 in Da Lat, Vietnam — the Philippines' fourth straight podium finish, still no win.

Entertainment, Exclusive Interview