In a recent forum at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, an economist, a biologist, a political scientist and a physicist questioned whether the proposed US-led Pax Silica hub would bring meaningful industrial development to the Philippines, or leave it bearing the environmental and economic costs of another foreign-led venture. Before the Philippines builds...
Category: Specials
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Who can serve as companions to Lolo and Lola?
As more Filipinos grow older, families need to address an issue that falls somewhere between looking after a parent themselves and hiring professional caregivers. A newly launched Metro Manila companionship service offers a glimpse of the possibilities, and the questions that come with them. Maria Lourdes Malipol, 27, began caring for her mother, Eleanor, after...
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The price of making disability the joke
What began as a disparaging online exchange about the celebrity Kris Aquino’s elder son has become an investigation into possible violations of disability-rights laws. Beyond the apologies and public outrage lies a larger question about the responsibility of those who turn other people’s lives into entertainment. It took 26 seconds for the conversation in “Machong...
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Surge in land prices offers opportunity for land value capture in Muntinlupa
MAGALANG, Pampanga—A surge in land prices in a residential subdivision in Muntinlupa City following the construction of a publicly funded access road to a central business district (CBD) has presented the city government an opportunity to get a share of the unearned windfall gains of landowners. But the city government has overlooked this source of...
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Police try to arrest veteran photojournalist in anti-US rally
Police attempted to arrest veteran photojournalist Alberto “Bullit” Marquez as he was covering a rally on Wednesday, July 22, in Pasay City against alleged US aggression in the Middle East and the Washington-initiated “Pax Silica” project to set up an expansive AI and semiconductor hub in the Philippines. Marquez was trying to take pictures of...
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Experts urge digital safety in uploading AI-generated images of children
Transforming a child’s face into a cute, playful AI image may appear creative and harmless, but uploading it to AI-powered online platforms, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, could pose risks that are often overlooked, according to authorities. One AI-generated image that has become popular is the “AI baby sticker,” which displays a baby’s photo enhanced...
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Girlie’s life in captivity and the challenge of conservation
Few visitors at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City realize that whenever they see Girlie, they are looking at a living chapter of Philippine conservation history. Girlie, estimated to be 45–46 years old, is believed to be the oldest living Philippine eagle. She has been living by herself in a caged...
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Filipino trust in news posts biggest fall–Digital News Report 2026
Trust in news in the Philippines plummeted by 10 points in 2026, the steepest decline among all 48 markets covered by this year’s Reuters Institute Digital News Report (DNR), amid deep political divisions, sustained attacks on the media and a continued shift toward social media, video platforms, creators and AI tools. Only 28% of Filipino...
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Six state-run schools assigned land in 9,450-hectare ‘smart, green and resilient’ city
NEW CLARK CITY — As a strategy, developers set aside land for a school to make real estate projects attractive to potential residents or investors. This government project in Central Luzon has allotted parcels of land to not one but six educational institutions. The scale of the project may explain the plan to put up...
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Possible giant leap in real property tax alarms Ayala Alabang Village residents
Residents of Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City have expressed alarm over an increase of up to 4,304% in the value of residential land in the posh neighborhood that will raise their payments of the yearly “amilyar,” or real property tax (RPT). At a public hearing on Feb. 11 in the barangay hall of the...