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  • Oliver Eugen Kretz formal

    Oliver Eugen Kretz Made History in June. The Real Test Is What Comes After.

    by Ely Valendez

    Two months after becoming the first Filipino to win Man of the World, Oliver Eugen Kretz talks to ELYSPLANET about what winning actually built — and whether it outlasts the crown.

    August 16, 2026
    Comments 0
    Pageants
  • Angelica Lopez for Miss Grand International 2026 head shot

    Angelica Lopez Was Told She Wasn’t the Type. She’s About to Get a Second Chance to Prove It Anyway.

    by Ely Valendez

    In October 2024, Angelica Lopez narrowly missed the semifinal cut at Miss International, finishing outside the Top 20. She didn’t get another crack at that specific pageant. What she got instead this August was a brand-new one: Reina Filipinas’ first-ever Grand International crown, and with it, a second international shot, this time at Miss Grand International in India this October, with the exact date...

    August 16, 2026
    Comments 0
    Pageants

ELSEWHERE

BGC is seen as Anti-Poor.

BGC Is a Bubble. The Subway Might Be the First Crack.

Published by Ely Valendez

Nearly every guide written about BGC uses the same word: bubble. A subway now under construction beneath it might be the first real crack.

August 13, 2026
Comments 0
Travel
Zambales Tourists enjoy the beach of Liwliwa

Why Zambales’ Black Sand Beaches Are Worth Visiting Off-Season

Published by Ely Valendez

Off-season Zambales trades Boracay-style white sand for black volcanic beaches — and a quieter, cheaper coast worth the detour from Manila.

August 12, 2026
Comments 0
Travel

PERSONAL

Metro Manila Flood August 9, 2026

‘Bad Weather’ Is a Luxury Word

Published by Ely Valendez

Somewhere in Metro Manila this morning, someone is posting a photo of coffee by the window, captioned with some version of ang ganda ng weather, sana all pahinga. Not...

August 9, 2026
Comments 2
Personal
Naked shot of Spider-Man Brand New Day of Tom Holland

Spider-Man Keeps Finding Me at the Right Age

Published by Ely Valendez

A charity screening, three actors, and two decades of birthdays — why the new Spider-Man movie hits differently depending on how old you are when the lights go down.

August 2, 2026
Comment 1
Personal

LATEST HIGHLIGHTS

Oliver Eugen Kretz formal
August 16, 2026

Oliver Eugen Kretz Made History in June. The Real Test Is What Comes After.

Two months after becoming the first Filipino to win Man of the World, Oliver Eugen Kretz talks to ELYSPLANET...

by Ely Valendez
Comments 0
Alex Eala Cincinnati Open vs Ruse
August 16, 2026

Alex Eala Avenged Her Only Loss to Ruse. Now Comes Amanda Anisimova.

Alex Eala got the rematch she wanted. The ending, however, came sooner than either player planned. The 21-year-old Filipina...

by Ely Valendez
Comments 0
Angelica Lopez for Miss Grand International 2026 head shot
August 16, 2026

Angelica Lopez Was Told She Wasn’t the Type. She’s About to Get a Second...

In October 2024, Angelica Lopez narrowly missed the semifinal cut at Miss International, finishing outside the Top 20. She...

by Ely Valendez
Comments 0
Bela Padilla for People, Places & Things
August 15, 2026

‘People, Places & Things’ Has Four Performances to Make Its Case in...

A difficult play about addiction, recovery, and the stories people tell about themselves has arrived in Manila for a...

by Ely Valendez
Comments 0

CULTURE

Boram Um, 2023 World Barista Champion
Lifestyle

Manila’s Coffee Boom Has Three Tiers. The Farmer Isn’t Winning in Any of Them.

A P280 cup of pour-over and a P7 sachet of instant both come from the same Philippine soil. Only one of them is treated like it means something. That...

August 7, 2026
Comments 0

Connect with us

Connect with us

Latest

Oliver Eugen Kretz formal
August 16, 2026

Oliver Eugen Kretz Made History in June. The Real Test Is What...

Alex Eala Cincinnati Open vs Ruse
August 16, 2026

Alex Eala Avenged Her Only Loss to Ruse. Now Comes Amanda...

Angelica Lopez for Miss Grand International 2026 head shot
August 16, 2026

Angelica Lopez Was Told She Wasn’t the Type. She’s...

Bela Padilla for People, Places & Things
August 15, 2026

‘People, Places & Things’ Has Four...

Miss Pearl of the Orient 2026 winner Lanelle Cajucom
August 15, 2026

Lanelle Aira Cajucom Won the Crown. Now She Has to Make It...

Katrina Anne Johnson - Binibining Pilipinas International 2025 - feature
August 15, 2026

Katrina Anne Johnson Spent Two Years Being Told No Before...

Brown Madonna - Photo by Jhay Em Nacion
August 14, 2026

Brown Madonna Comes Home, But It Isn’t Bringing the Postcard...

As posted by Dayao on Facebook, this photo was taken during Typhoon Ulysses in 2020. A view from a relative's second-floor window shows that the makeshift wood and rag barrier against the low wall helped protect their alley during the deluge. Years later, that makeshift fix evolved into the engineered steel gates now protecting the entire neighborhood.
August 14, 2026

How ₱5,000 Flood Gates in Cavite Keep the Water Out

Filipino-Austrian Johannes Pietsch won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2025
August 14, 2026

The Philippines Is Finally Getting Its Own Eurovision

SPOTLIGHT

Katrina Anne Johnson - Binibining Pilipinas International 2025 - feature

Katrina Anne Johnson Spent Two Years Being Told No Before Anyone Handed Her a Crown

Published by Ely Valendez

Katrina Anne Johnson has thirteen dogs. Not adopted-on-a-whim, telegenic-puppy dogs — a mix of senior dogs, rescues from abuse and neglect, animals with special needs, one who gets around...

August 15, 2026
Comment 1
Pageants, People

CULTURE

The Hotdog Tribute Concert_4905
Theater

My Annie Batungbakal Was Norwegian

A typhoon-flooded drive to Newport, three original Hotdog vocalists, and a Norwegian friend I nicknamed Annie Batungbakal when I was six — some songs just keep finding you.

August 9, 2026
Comment 1
Eugene Domingo in Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4 Live sa Cheter!
Theater

What We Flush Out: Notes from Septic Tank 4, Now That the Run Is Sold Out

Before the curtain even went up, there was a wall. Sticky notes, three colors, stacked over each other until the board underneath disappeared. The question at the top, in...

August 1, 2026
Comments 0
Stay A Little Longer
Theater

Stay a Little Longer: A New Cebu Play Asks What’s Left When Memory Fades

Every caregiver of someone living with dementia eventually hits the same fork: correct the version of reality the person in front of them is living in, or step inside...

July 31, 2026
Comments 2

ELSEWHERE

BGC is seen as Anti-Poor.
August 13, 2026

BGC Is a Bubble. The Subway Might Be the First Crack.

Zambales Tourists enjoy the beach of Liwliwa
August 12, 2026

Why Zambales’ Black Sand Beaches Are Worth Visiting Off...

Manila Marriott Eala
August 11, 2026

Marriott’s New Face Is Alex Eala. Ours Was a Room...

The reality of tourism in the Philippines
August 9, 2026

The Philippines Is Losing the Tourism War. Here’s What&...

MOA EYE. This is a sight to behold at the SM Mall of Asia complex especially during sunset and at night.
August 5, 2026

SM Mall of Asia Is the Sunset Manila’s Money Can’t...

August 4, 2026

In BGC, Cochi’s Michelin Test Isn’t the Cochinillo

CULTURE

Oliver Eugen Kretz formal
August 16, 2026

Oliver Eugen Kretz Made History in June. The Real Test Is What Comes After.

Two months after becoming the first Filipino to win Man of the World, Oliver Eugen Kretz talks to ELYSPLANET...

by Ely Valendez
Comments 0
Angelica Lopez for Miss Grand International 2026 head shot
August 16, 2026

Angelica Lopez Was Told She Wasn’t the Type. She’s About to Get a Second...

In October 2024, Angelica Lopez narrowly missed the semifinal cut at Miss International, finishing outside the Top 20. She...

by Ely Valendez
Comments 0
Miss Pearl of the Orient 2026 winner Lanelle Cajucom
August 15, 2026

Lanelle Aira Cajucom Won the Crown. Now She Has to Make It Useful

Lanelle Aira Cajucom now holds a national crown. Now comes the hard part. On Friday night, August 14, inside...

by Ely Valendez
Comments 0
Katrina Anne Johnson - Binibining Pilipinas International 2025 - feature
August 15, 2026

Katrina Anne Johnson Spent Two Years Being Told No Before Anyone Handed Her a Crown

Katrina Anne Johnson has thirteen dogs. Not adopted-on-a-whim, telegenic-puppy dogs — a mix of senior dogs, rescues from abuse...

by Ely Valendez
Comment 1
Mister Pilipinas Worldwide 2026 winners circle
August 12, 2026

Mister Pilipinas Worldwide’s Kings Are Chasing Their Next Crown

Mister Pilipinas Worldwide (MPW) — the national franchise that sends Filipino male delegates to international pageants — has produced...

by Ely Valendez
Comments 0
Miss Philippines Earth 2026 Rina Andrea Delos Santos was crowned by reigning Miss Earth 2025 Natálie Puškinová instead of outgoing titleholder Joy Barcoma. The coronation night happened on June 27, 2026, in Malitbog, Bukidnon.
August 11, 2026

Miss Philippines Earth Went Home to Flood-Hit Cagayan and Posted About Everything...

In a Facebook post published Monday, Aug. 10, Rina Andrea delos Santos — Miss Philippines Earth 2026, crowned in...

by Ely Valendez
Comments 0

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From Red Carpets to Real Places.

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