Philippines

Stand near EDSA at 8 a.m.—horns, street food smoke, someone shouting “pabili!” That’s Quezon City on a weekday, still leading the richest cities in the Philippines 2025. Makati follows close, the glass towers catching sunlight while office workers hurry in. Manila, once quieter, found new rhythm with trade and tourism. Cebu and Laguna, steady as ever, rule the provinces. The …

As the “Queen City of the South,” Cebu City is not only famous for its beaches – it is a haven for seafood lovers! If you want grilled squid, buttered shrimp and fresh oysters, there are many restaurants that serve ocean-fresh seafood, you can also explore some of the Beaches Within 2 Hours of Cebu City for a perfect coastal …

Metro Manila In a recent clarification, the Department of Energy (DOE) reiterated that metro Manila under the Republic Act No. 11697, the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), exempts all electric vehicles (EVs) to the number coding scheme. Such exemption is eight years long and takes effect on the day the law was enacted, April 15, 2022, and covers many …

A jeepney driver stops at a red light in Pasig, grabs his phone, and checks a message—another Lazada order confirmed. Two stalls away, a food vendor counts coins while her teen daughter answers tutoring calls from Japan. This is 2025 Philippines: noise, hustle, and quiet determination. Many successful entrepreneurs in the Philippines started small like this. Even in the top …

By sunrise, Calle Crisologo is already humming with noise. Oil splatters in wide metal pans, garlic burns slightly at the edges, and the smell of pork fat mixes with vinegar. That’s how mornings start in Vigan. This old city isn’t trying to impress anyone, it just feeds people the way it always has. Before diving into the kitchens, digital creators …

Salt hangs in the air of Palawan mornings. Backpackers shuffle through narrow streets, plastic cups of iced coffee in hand, waiting for vans or ferries that never seem to leave on time. Between the limestone cliffs and turquoise water, El Nido and Coron have become a kind of pilgrimage for budget travelers. Not the polished kind—those who chase warmth, not …

Picture a computer lab in Manila at 10 p.m. The air is cold, screens glow, keyboards clack. Someone curses under their breath — one wrong semicolon. Another student leans back, smiling; their code finally runs. That’s computer science in the Philippines: noisy, focused, hopeful. Many of these schools are older than most tech firms. They started with typewriters and now …

The Philippines is one of the countries where tourists may use taxis and hailing services such as Grab to get around easily and cheaply. But as a visitor to a strange city, it is necessary to have additional awareness to be safe and comfortable. You can be walking in the traffic of Manila or touring the beautiful highways of Cebu, …

There’s a stretch in Betis that smells like sawdust before you even see the shops. Wood shavings scatter along the road, a sign that work has been happening all day. Inside the workshops, you’ll find men sanding chair legs or brushing lacquer onto a half-finished cabinet. This is how Pampanga furniture makers have done it for generations — no shortcuts, …

Politics here feels like the country’s heartbeat. You hear it everywhere, inside jeepneys, in morning talk shows, even at birthday parties. Some roll their eyes, others argue over coffee. The names stay familiar: Marcos, Duterte, Aquino. Different faces, same surnames, same energy. If you’ve been watching this cycle for years, you’ll notice how little changes on the surface. But power …