The Pasig River Esplanade Is a ₱32 Billion Bet That Free Space Still Matters
The Pasig River was declared biologically dead in the 1990s. Manila is now spending up to ₱32 billion to bring it back — here’s what that actually buys.
All posts tagged: Philippines
The Philippines
Escolta Is Rotting on Purpose. Almost Nobody’s Fighting It.
The heat hits you first. Diesel smoke, damp concrete, and the low, heavy hum of a city moving too fast. Step off the LRT-1 — the Light Rail Transit Line 1, the elevated train that’s been cutting through this part of Manila since the 1980s — at Carriedo, and the crowd swallows you whole. This line alone moves several hundred thousand riders across the city every day, and a good chunk of them funnel through this exact station on their way to Quiapo, Divisoria, or Chinatown, none of them looking up at the old buildings, all of them chasing a clock. This used to be where the money lived. Decades ago, this stretch wasn’t just prosperous — it was the financial heart of the Philippines, nicknamed “the Wall Street of the Philippines” back when the Philippine National Bank ran its very first headquarters out of the Masonic Temple a few blocks down. But capital is restless, and the banks eventually packed up their vaults for the air-conditioned towers of Makati and BGC, leaving these blocks …
Mr. Universe Philippines vs. Mister Universe Philippines 2026: Yes, There’s a Difference
One is Mr. Universe Philippines 2026, headed to India. The other is Mister Universe Philippines 2026, headed to the U.S. A single period is doing a lot of work this year.
‘Bad Weather’ Is a Luxury Word
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 far from that window, a family in Rizal is arranging a wake for someone the floodwater took over the weekend. Somewhere else — Benguet, maybe, or a low-lying barangay along the Marikina — people are standing on a roof right now, watching the water climb, waiting for a rescue boat that hasn’t come yet. I’m not writing this as either of those people. I’m the guy in between — the one who got mildly, expensively, embarrassingly inconvenienced last night trying to get home, and who’s uncomfortable enough about that to actually sit with why. The Weather Is Not the Same Weather for Everyone Here’s the thing about a red rainfall warning: it describes rainfall, not risk. On paper, everyone under it gets the same millimeters. In practice, “bad weather” means a cancelled outdoor lunch for one person and a flooded sari-sari store for another, sometimes on …
The Philippines Is Losing the Tourism War. Here’s What’s Changed Since We Said So.
A new tourism chief, BINI and SB19 as ambassadors, a domestic-travel rebrand — and the real question of whether any of it closes the Southeast Asian arrivals gap.
Reina Filipinas 2026: Angelica Lopez of Palawan Wins the Pageant’s First-Ever Grand International Crown
Reina Filipinas crowned its first-ever queen tonight — a Palawan pageant veteran on her second shot at the international stage, in a launch defined by a poached franchise and two controversial hosts.
Will Alex Eala Be the DOT’s Next Tourism Ambassador?
BINI and SB19 are now official Philippine tourism ambassadors. The DOT hasn’t confirmed Alex Eala yet — but after her DC Open win, that might not last.
In BGC, Cochi’s Michelin Test Isn’t the Cochinillo
A year removed from its Michelin Bib Gourmand nod, Cochi’s real test isn’t the cochinillo — it’s whether the rest of the menu holds up.
Alex Eala Wins Her First Title — After Three Rain Delays and a 6-0 Bagel
Three rain delays, one blown Miami rematch avenged, and a 6-0 third set — Alex Eala finally has her first WTA Tour title.
Mister World Philippines 2026: Aaron Beau Davis Crowned as a Rainy Newport Night Turns Messy
Aaron Beau Davis won Mister World Philippines 2026 in a half-empty Newport theater, on a night that also snubbed a fan favorite and briefly swapped two sashes live on air.