Coronavirus Lockdown: Stronger Reintegration Support, Concert Culture, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government. 

Chinese tourist arrivals have risen but the numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels. 

https://palawan-news.com/chinese-tourist-arrivals-rise-68-9-but-remain-below-pre-pandemic-level/

Chinese tourist arrivals in the Philippines increased by 68.9% this year, but the number remains far below the level recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic, the state-owned Philippine News Agency reported.

Fewer than 300,000 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines from January to August 20, according to Teresita Landan, acting head of the Marketing and Promotions Sector of the Tourism Promotions Board.

“The Chinese arrivals really helped in the total target of visitor arrivals in the Philippines. From January up to yesterday, less than 300,000 Chinese tourists [arrived in the Philippines]. It represents a 68.9 percent growth rate over the same period in 2025,” Landan said.

Despite the increase, the figure remains a fraction of the 1.74 million Chinese visitors recorded in 2019, when China was the Philippines’ second-largest source of foreign tourists.

The government is seeking to rebuild the Chinese tourism market through the Philippine Business Mission to Greater China 2026, which held its Shanghai leg on August 21.

Led by the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board, the event brought Philippine hotels, resorts, tour operators and airlines together with Chinese travel buyers.

“Actually, the main objective of this Philippine Business Mission is to strengthen the engagement of Philippine hotels, resorts, and tour operators with Chinese buyers,” Landan said.

The Shanghai gathering generated millions of pesos in confirmed travel bookings, according to Francisco Lardizabal, tourism attaché at the DOT office in Shanghai.

“If we use our experiences in Hong Kong and Xiamen as a benchmark, we were happily surprised. Millions [in travel deals] were generated. Spot on, hard reservations. Booking paid, on the spot,” Lardizabal said.

Similar activities were held in Xiamen and Hong Kong as part of the mission’s Greater China leg.

Philippine officials also see tourism as a way to address mistrust and improve people-to-people relations between the Philippines and China amid continuing disputes between the two countries.

“Tourism is one of the examples of people-to-people exchanges. So, this is really what we want to happen; this is what we want to encourage,” Philippine Consul General in Shanghai Myca Fischer said.

“Because there may be a lot of misinformation or misperceptions, and you can only truly understand a person if you actually visit where they are,” she added.

Tourism businesses said the Chinese market remains important for destinations such as Boracay.

“Because the Chinese market is the number one market for Boracay, it’s really important for us,” said Belinda Candelaria, sales director of Paradise Garden Resort Hotel.

The Philippine delegation included representatives from travel agencies, hotels, resorts and airlines.

The number 68.9 may seem like a large growth rate but compared to pre-pandemic levels over a million tourists are missing!

The Philippine concert industry, long driven by enthusiastic millennial audiences, was heavily disrupted by the pandemic before rebounding strongly once restrictions eased. Live Nation Philippines launched in April 2022 just as COVID rules began loosening, capitalizing on pent-up demand with early post-pandemic shows by artists like Louis Tomlinson and Billie Eilish that sold out rapidly. 

https://qa.philstar.com/entertainment/2026/08/29/2552636/live-nation-philippines-head-rhiza-pascua-reflects-countrys-concert-culture

It's safe to say that Rhiza Pascua knows the Philippine concert scene inside and out.

She founded Music Management International or MMI Live in 1996 which was pivotal in bringing international artists to perform in major venues around the country.

Fast forward to 2022, Live Nation Entertainment aquired MMI Live and since then Pascua has been serving as the managing director of Live Nation Philippines (LNPH).

Under her leadership, LNPH heralded the post-pandemic era of concerts in the Philippines, hosting the likes of Coldplay, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, Blackpink, Dua Lipa and Bruno Mars (whom the promoter is bringing back next year).

Pascua sat down for an exclusive interview with Philstar.com to discuss the country's concert culture as marked by the years sandwiching the pandemic.

The executive proudly claimed having a timeline for the turn of events, commenting how during the time of MMI Live that the concert market was already strong.

"People were very enthusiastic about live entertainment. Everybody wanted to post all their shows on social media," Pascua said. "They would go and have fun, especially if the act had creative production."

She noted how millennials made up the most of concert-goers and would always document shows that were "Instagrammable," crediting the generation for kickstarting experiential activities.

"Everything for them was about travel, food, and concerts. So ang malakas talaga si concerts for decades kasi part siya ng life ni millennials," Pascua added.

The launch of LNPH in April 2022 was around the time pandemic restrictions were being loosened and there was a clamor for live shows in the Philippines again.

Three months later, LNPH brought over British singer and former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson, which Pascua recalled was a chaotic preparation.

Louis was supposed to only perform at the New Frontier Theater, but the demand for tickets was so high that his concert was moved to the nearby Araneta Coliseum which still sold out.

LNPH followed that up singer-songwriter Billie Eilish in August, which also sold out. The trend continued in 2023 as the promoter also dabbled with K-pop artists.

"I guess people were excited to go out," Pascua reflected. "Kasi yung 2023 naman wala nang rules, wala ka nang fill-out na pagkadami-daming ano. People were really shopping, eating out, going to concerts."

It was around that time that the LNPH noticed there were more promoters popping up around the country after seeing how profitable concerts can be.

There would be a time when, in a given weekend, there were eight shows taking place in different major venues, a hustle that Pascua respects.

Not a lot of these new companies, however, would survive in 2024. Even LNPH was affected as people just weren't purchasing tickets.

The dip provided a chance for redemption in 2025 as businesses either opened or reopened and competition against other promoters was present again.

Pascua said there was a need for "disruption," and that came in the form of Filipino-American singer Olivia Rodrigo's November 2024 concert, where tickets were sold for a P1,500 flat rate.

"Kailangan minsan ng disruption, diba? We have to disrupt," the executive pointed out. "Hindi naman para maging kontrabida [sa iba], pero we just had to."

She isn't particularly sure how to define the early success of 2026 given tensions in the Middle East and the oil crisis began in February but LNPH successfully held off local boy band SB19's "Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Concert Finale" at the SMDC Festival Grounds.

The uncertainty is also reflected in how the promoter had to cancel the May show of Thai boy group BUS but in the same month Daniel Caesar and Laufey each had three sold-out concerts.

Ticket selling for K-pop boy band BTS' comeback concerts in the Philippines began in June where the allocation quickly sold out but it wasn't a full house for F4's F?FOREVER concert, making it even harder for LNPH to gauge what influences the market.

"I think now, people are more selective. Parang, 'Okay, kailangan natin magtipid [but] let's be selective," Pascua ended.

Rhiza Pascua notes that by 2023, with most restrictions gone, people eagerly returned to live events as part of a broader surge in shopping, dining, and social activities. The pandemic’s lingering effects are still visible in later market fluctuations, including a 2024 ticket-sales dip and more selective consumer behavior amid economic pressures.

Senator Bong Go is pushing the Bagong Balikbayan Act to create stronger, long-term support for returning overseas Filipino workers, including jobs and livelihood programs rather than just repatriation. He says that the difficulties faced by OFWs became especially clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, when thousands were forced to return home with little preparation or local opportunities waiting for them. 

https://tribune.net.ph/2026/08/30/sen-bong-go-pushes-stronger-reintegration-support-for-returning-ofws

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go is pushing for stronger government support for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning to the Philippines, saying assistance should go beyond bringing them home and include jobs, livelihood opportunities and long-term reintegration.

Go made the call as he co-sponsored the proposed Bagong Balikbayan Act, which seeks to establish a Comprehensive, Integrated, and Sustainable Reintegration Program for returning OFWs.

“Our OFWs deserve the opportunity to choose—if they wish to return and live in the Philippines after many years of working abroad, there should be jobs, livelihood opportunities, and other opportunities waiting for them,” Go said.

As one of the measure’s authors, Go said OFWs should receive concrete assistance to help them rebuild their lives after years of working overseas.

“It is not enough to simply call them our modern-day heroes. We need to provide them with concrete support and ensure that when they return home, there is a clear path forward, with the government standing by their side,” he said.

Go noted that returning OFWs often struggle to find local employment that matches the skills and experience they acquired abroad. Others face difficulties starting businesses or securing sustainable livelihoods.

He said these challenges became particularly evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, when thousands of Filipino migrant workers were forced to return home.

“We saw this during the pandemic, when they were suddenly sent home and our OFWs faced tremendous difficulties,” Go said.

Under the proposed measure, government programs and services for returning migrant workers would be integrated and coordinated to provide continuous assistance in employment, livelihood and reintegration.

The bill also seeks to ensure that the skills, qualifications and professional experience acquired by OFWs overseas are properly recognized and utilized in the domestic labor market.

Go linked the proposal to previous measures aimed at strengthening government services for migrant workers, including Republic Act 11641, which created the Department of Migrant Workers.

He also cited the establishment of the OFW Hospital in Pampanga under Executive Order 154, as well as his proposals to institutionalize the facility and establish dedicated OFW wards in hospitals nationwide.

Go further explained that not all OFWs and their families can travel to Pampanga for medical services, underscoring the need to make dedicated healthcare services more accessible across the country.

“Not all OFWs are able to travel to the OFW Hospital in Pampanga, so it is only right that OFW wards be made available in different parts of the country,” he said.

Go maintained that the Bagong Balikbayan Act would help returning OFWs transition from overseas employment to productive and sustainable lives in the Philippines.

“Through this proposed measure, we are providing them not only with assistance in returning home, but also with the opportunity to start anew, succeed, and prosper here in their own country,” he said.

The proposed law aims to integrate government services so returning migrant workers receive continuous help with employment, skills recognition, and reintegration. Go argued that calling OFWs “modern-day heroes” is not enough without concrete systems that help them rebuild their lives in the Philippines after sudden returns like those seen during the pandemic.

Coronavirus Lockdown: Baguio, Jeff Ramos, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government. 

Baguio is still reporting on COVID-19 cases. These are mild with no deaths. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/08/22/baguio-records-125-mild-covid19-cases-no-deaths

The City Health Services Office (CHSO) reported that Baguio has recorded 125 COVID‑19 cases as of Aug. 17, with 120 patients having recovered and five active cases, all classified as mild.

The update was presented during the Baguio City Council’s regular session, where representatives from the CHSO, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), and the Department of Health (DOH) were invited to brief officials on the city’s COVID‑19 situation.

CHSO Head Celia Brillantes and City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) head Donnabel Panes said most of the city’s cases were mild, noting that the majority of patients had been vaccinated.

Panes added that 99 percent of recovered patients were vaccinated, underscoring the role of vaccination in preventing severe illness.

A significant number of cases were recorded among health workers who undergo regular testing as part of infection prevention and control measures in medical facilities, the CHSO explained.

Health officials also reported that Baguio has not recorded any case of the Cicada COVID‑19 subvariant.

Across the Cordillera Administrative Region, the DOH logged 184 COVID‑19 cases from January to August 2026.

Baguio accounted for 129 cases, followed by Benguet with 39, Mountain Province with seven, Kalinga with four, Apayao and Ifugao with two each, and Abra with one.

While Baguio’s cases have generally been mild, officials urged the public to remain cautious, especially when interacting with senior citizens, children, pregnant women, and individuals with comorbidities.

They pointed to the city’s vaccination data as evidence of the protection vaccines provide against severe COVID‑19 outcomes.

Oddly enough the number of reported cases in the article, 129, is not the same as the humber in the headline, 125. 

During the pandemic most people stayed home. Jeff Ramos decided to volunteer in his community. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/759823/faces-of-cebu-jeff-ramos-emerging-host-young-volunteer/amp

For Jeff Ramos, serving the community holds no status.

For the 24-year-old from Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, service is not measured by the position attached to a name, the number of people under a leader, or the recognition that may come afterward.

It is measured by the willingness to help. 

Jeff Ramos, also known as “Jepay,” first found his way into volunteerism during the pandemic, when the crisis had placed communities in difficult circumstances and people were looking for ways to lend a hand.

Volunteerism had never been part of his original plans.

But in 2020, friends encouraged him to join the Youth Volunteers in Guadalupe, which was then looking for people willing to help their community. 

The group was open to anyone who wanted to lend a helping hand, and Ramos decided to join.

He was also the kind of person who found it difficult to simply stay at home doing nothing.

“I couldn’t just stay at home and do nothing. Ganahan jud ko nga ma-productive ko by volunteering and lending my helping hands to my community. Mao ‘to nakahuna-huna ko nga mo-join ko ug volunteer,” Ramos said.

The work placed him among hundreds of volunteers serving a barangay he described as having a large population spread across 84 sitios.

They distributed quarantine passes and rice, while also taking precautions because of their exposure as volunteers during the height of the pandemic.

The work was demanding, but Ramos remembers how the volunteers managed it through hard work and unity.

“With all hard work and unity as a team, nalabang ra gyud ’to namo siya,” he said.

Ramos’ entry into volunteerism came years after he had first encountered leadership in school.

Leadership, he said, can either be something a person is born with or something shaped by influence and experience.

His own journey started modestly.

In elementary school, he recalled leading Grade 1 pupils during the flag ceremony in Grade 6. His junior high school years were largely spent in lower-level classroom positions, including roles such as an auditor.

It was in Senior High School at Abellana National School that his exposure to leadership became more substantial.

In Grade 11, he became a Board of Director. By the following school year, his peers considered him among those fit to run for the Supreme Student Government (SSG) president.

He eventually decided to run and became SSG President for the 2019-2020 school year.

The experience gave him opportunities to attend leadership training and learn from his adviser and fellow officers.

Among the lessons that stayed with him was the importance of putting others first.

“During my SSG years, my SSG adviser really taught me to be selfless. You need to think of the welfare of others first before sa imoha,” Ramos said.

He also learned that leadership begins with strengthening oneself before trying to empower others.

“Be yourself. Para dili ka mag-lisod to lead others, you need to be yourself and you also need to build strength gikan jud sa imong kaugalingon para maka-empower sad ka sa others. Empower yourself first, before empowering others,” he said. 

Those lessons would later become part of how he approached volunteer work.

For Ramos, moving from lower positions in school to becoming an SSG president never meant that one role automatically allowed him to serve more people than another.

The number of people a person can serve, he believes, should not determine the value of the service itself.

“If you really want to serve, then bisag pila pa man na ka-population or unsa pa man na kagamay or kadako ang population, dili siya mag-matter,” he said.

“As they all say, with great power comes great responsibility. So if you can serve anyone and everyone, why not, ’di ba?” 

That belief also extends to the people he serves.

Ramos said he does not believe service should be limited by political affiliations, personal beliefs, or other differences between people.

For him, the decision to help comes down to whether someone needs help and whether he has something he can offer.

“Knowing the fact nga ang service, naa na gyud sa akong heart. So bisan pa man ug lahi mi ug political party or lahi-lahi mi ug belief, lahi-lahi mi ug religion, service holds no status,” he said. 

If a person or group needs help and he knows he can contribute, Ramos said, that is enough reason to extend it.

After the pandemic, Ramos became more closely involved with activities of the Sangguniang Kabataan in Guadalupe.

During the 2018-2023 term, although he did not hold a formal seat at the council, he experienced serving as vice chairman of different committees over the five-year period.

His first committee responsibility was Peace Building and Security.

From there came a series of community activities, including a fun run aimed at veering away the youth from illegal drugs, “Queen of Guadalupe,” “Operation Tuli,” “Skwela Karon, Trabaho Dayon,” and “Guadalupe Eco Ambassador and Ambassadress,” among others.

The work remained focused on the community, particularly the youth of Guadalupe.

“Para sa community jud siya, especially for the kabatan-unan sa Brgy. Guadalupe,” Ramos said. 

His involvement did not depend on holding an official position.

For one recent SK activity, the opening of the Asenzo Cup and the Drag Queen competition, Ramos was not originally part of the staff. He was appointed by an SK chairperson to serve as floor director.

For Ramos, the role itself mattered less than the trust placed in him to carry out the responsibility.

Regardless of whether he was officially part of the original staff, he said he was willing to take on the work if he was considered fit for it.

That willingness is also reflected in how he understands volunteerism within the barangay.

Even behind the scenes, without a formal position, he still considers the work volunteerism when it is done to help the community without expecting something in return.

For Ramos, volunteerism has never been about receiving something in exchange.

During the pandemic, he and the other volunteers did not expect compensation for their work.

Instead, fulfillment came from the people they helped.

Sometimes, it was as simple as a “thank you.”

Sometimes, it was seeing someone smile after receiving assistance.

“Siguro ang sense of fulfillment nga amoang ma-receive kay gikan gyud sa mga tao nga among gitabangan, like a simple ‘thank you’ as a gesture, mo-smile sila nga matagaan sila ug ayuda,” he said. 

That same sense of fulfillment continues even in activities that are no longer centered on emergency assistance.

During the Asenzo Cup, where he helped organize the opening and games, Ramos found satisfaction in seeing young people enjoy the activity the team had planned.

For him, that reaction was a sign that the work had achieved its purpose.

“Just by looking at the youth who enjoy playing a specific sport, murag it’s a fulfillment na sad sa amoang part,” he said. 

“The youth enjoyed the activity that we planned, we organized.” 

It is that kind of response that makes him want to continue serving, particularly the youth of the barangay.

Volunteerism, however, has also taught Ramos that serving a community means working with people who do not always see things the same way.

He considers dealing with different perspectives one of the hardest parts of volunteer work.

Volunteers sometimes have to relay instructions from leaders to residents who may have their own beliefs, principles, and reasons for disagreeing.

During the pandemic, one example involved quarantine passes.

The volunteers were instructed that one quarantine pass should be shared by at least five houses so that people would not all have to leave their homes at the same time.

Some residents initially resisted because they also had their own needs to attend to outside.

Ramos said the challenge was addressed through communication and explaining why the instruction was necessary.

The goal, he said, was to help residents understand that everyone needed to work together during difficult circumstances for the betterment of the community.

For him, remaining committed to the purpose of service becomes especially important when perspectives differ.

Ramos’ service also extends beyond organizing community activities.

He began hosting at 18 after someone believed in him and gave him the opportunity to handle an event.

Since then, hosting has become another skill he can bring into volunteer work.

He is part of a group of friends who volunteer and organize feeding programs in different communities, including parts of Cebu and Guadalupe.

In one recent feeding program in Barangay Bonbon, a mountain barangay in Cebu City, he used his hosting skills to help run the activity, introduce his fellow volunteers, hold the microphone, and interact with the children.

For Ramos, the connection is straightforward.

He found a way to use something he loves doing in service of something he also loves.

“With that, na-connect nako akong love sa hosting sa akoang love sa service,” he said. 

Ramos does not believe a person needs a particular position, skill, or qualification to become a volunteer.

For him, there is one thing that matters most: the willingness to serve.

He said volunteerism should not be treated as a path to popularity. A person should understand that they are there because the community needs them and because they have a purpose in helping others.

“Siguro, dapat naa ang heart to serve, mao ra gyud na,” Ramos said.

“Hopefully, ma-realize nimo na you are there to help others. You are there because the community needs you and you are there for a purpose.” 

That principle also explains why he rejects the idea of using leadership or volunteerism to demand recognition.

For Ramos, genuine service should not come with an expectation that people will repay the volunteer with money, recognition, or a sense of indebtedness.

“A true leader and a true volunteer will help without demanding any recognition or any kind of pag-tingala sa imoha,” Ramos said.

Fresh from graduating cum laude from the University of Cebu with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language, Ramos plans to pursue teaching.

He wants to review for the licensure examination, but he also plans to work first to help with his family’s needs and save enough money to send himself to a review center. 

For now, he continues to work as a freelance host while preparing to enter the workforce.

He can already picture what he hopes comes next: himself inside a classroom, sharing knowledge with his future students.

“I can really see myself in a four-walled classroom, kanang nag-impart ko ug knowledge to my students,” he said.

“Siguro mao na siya ang abangan sa usa ka Jepay.” 

For Ramos, however, whatever comes next remains connected to the same principle that has carried him from a student leader to a pandemic volunteer, from community activities to behind-the-scenes work, and from a microphone in his hand to service in his barangay.

Service holds no status.

A title may change, a position may end. Even the number of people one serves may grow or shrink.

But for Ramos, the purpose remains the same: if someone needs help, and he knows he can help, he chooses to serve.

As a seemingly principled man seeking no recognition he is certainly an anomaly.

Here is another story of pandemic resilience. JM Banquicio’s channel began during the pandemic when, after months of being grounded, he documented a restricted trip to the reopening of Boracay simply because he missed traveling. 

https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/08/23/the-sunday-times/filipino-champions/getting-to-know-jm-banquicio/2410349

JM Banquicio loved his corporate life. He had a good company, supportive bosses and great colleagues, and travel was something he carried alongside it, a passion that lived beside a career that was working. Leaving, when the time came in 2024, was not easy. 

“Deciding to leave wasn’t easy at all,” he says. 

But something had shifted, and he took the leap into full-time content creation. 

The story of his channel began earlier, in the middle of the pandemic, when Boracay announced it was reopening with restrictions. JM had spent months grounded, missing travel the way people miss something that is part of who they are. 

“I still needed to take a Covid-19 test back then before I could fly,” he recalls. 

He got tested, prepared all the requirements and went, not because of a content strategy but because he genuinely missed traveling. And he figured that if others wanted to go, they might need to see the whole process. 

“I thought of documenting the whole process since, if I was going to upload it online, many people who also wanted to travel to Boracay at the time might be able to relate to it.” 

That instinct, to show the practical side of a trip so someone else can find their way through it, became the foundation of everything he does. 

Today, his YouTube channel has more than 220,000 subscribers and 68 million views. He covers travel, food and lifestyle across Asia and beyond, breaking down itineraries, costs and logistics with the specificity of someone who has had to figure it all out himself. 

Viewers follow his trips in detail, and some take the exact same ones. 

“It’s also heartwarming to receive messages from the fam saying they followed my itinerary or watched my vlog before taking their trip,” he says. 

Fam is what he calls his audience, and the name fits. 

He is, by his own admission, naturally an introvert. Putting himself out there, meeting people and speaking in front of others did not come easily at first. 

“Vlogging pushed me outside my comfort zone and gave me confidence I probably wouldn’t have developed otherwise,” he says. 

The camera, it turns out, was its own kind of discipline. 

The videos that mean the most to him are not always about the biggest destinations. They are the ones with his family: traveling to Japan together, bringing his parents to China and celebrating milestones as a whole unit. 

“The first time traveling in Europe, visiting Christmas markets, and many more, but some of the videos that stay closest to me are really the ones with my family,” he says. 

He documents family life openly because family is genuinely central to who he is, and the channel has always reflected that. But he is also conscious of limits. Not everything becomes content. Some moments belong only to them. 

“Years from now, regardless of what happens to social media, we will have this archive of our family,” he says. 

The scale of the platform only becomes real to him in person. At his first Bloggers United event, he was caught off guard by how many people showed up. At airports and malls, strangers stop him to say they watched his vlog with their family before booking a trip. 

“There are actual people and families behind every view on YouTube,” he says. 

“Knowing that someone with their family gave 30 or 40 minutes of their day to watch my videos is something I never want to take for granted.” 

Behind what viewers see is work that is far less glamorous: research, planning, filming while still trying to actually experience the place, then transferring files and charging equipment late at night while others are already resting. 

“There’s so much more happening behind the scenes than what viewers see,” he says. 

He has learned to tell the difference between a day that needs rest and a day that needs showing up, and he no longer apologizes for either. 

I also asked JM about the online discussions that exist beyond his channel, including a subreddit dedicated to him and questions that have circulated about his health. He is aware of both. 

“As a content creator, I understand that putting myself and parts of my life online naturally opens me up to different opinions, both positive and negative,” he says. 

He pays attention to feedback he can actually learn from. The rest, he tries not to carry. 

On his health, he is direct: Yes, he takes care of it. Regular checkups, mindful choices and ongoing work. 

“What appears on camera is only a small portion of my everyday life,” he says. 

When things online become heavy, his family keeps him grounded. So do the messages from viewers. 

One has stayed with him: Someone wrote to say they were going through a very difficult and lonely time and that his vlogs gave them something to look forward to. 

“It could be a simple travel vlog, a family trip, or just an ordinary day for me,” he reflects, “but on the other side of the screen, someone might be watching because they need a little escape, comfort, or simply something that can make their day feel lighter.” 

That message, he says, became one of his whys. 

Last year, he received the No. 1 award at the World Creator Festival in Busan. Being recognized abroad, surrounded by creators from different places, made him proud not just personally but also as a Filipino creator. 

“Filipino creators have stories and perspectives that deserve to be seen globally,” he says. “So whenever I’m given an opportunity like that, I carry a sense of pride that I’m representing where I come from.” 

Then he came home, picked up his camera and kept going. 

Ask him what he wants viewers to feel after watching one of his videos, and he does not reach for something grand. 

“I want them to feel like they’re really with me in every vlog,” he says. 

He wants them excited to book the same trip or curious about a place in the Philippines they had never considered. And for those who cannot travel right now, he wants the video to give them 20 or 30 minutes where they can breathe, laugh and feel like they are part of something. 

“If someone closes one of my videos feeling a little happier, more inspired, or less alone,” he says, “that’s already something I’m very grateful for.” 

A corporate life set aside, a camera picked up, millions of minutes of someone else’s day given freely and watched. JM Banquicio made a bet on himself and on the fam waiting on the other side of the screen. So far, both are showing up.

The pandemic both forced the pause that made him start creating and shaped the useful, grounded approach that later allowed him to turn it into a career. It was a net benefit for him as for so many others. 

Manila cruise levels are back to pre-pandemic levels, surpassing 2019. 

https://www.nomadlawyer.org/philippines-cruise-tourism-manila-homeport-growth-passenger-volume-2026

Data from the Eva Macapagal Cruise Terminal indicates a significant acceleration in "turnaround" activity. As of April 2026, Manila recorded six turnaround cruise calls, a threefold increase over the two calls recorded during the previous year.

A turnaround call signifies that passengers both embark and disembark at the same location. This transition allows Manila to function as a starting and ending point for voyages rather than a transit stop, increasing the economic impact per passenger.

The terminal is currently equipped to handle medium and large vessels with capacities ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 passengers, primarily serving markets from the United States, Europe, and China.

Official figures from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) demonstrate a consistent upward trajectory in arrival numbers over the last three years:

• 2023: 88,080 cruise passengers
• 2024: 150,903 cruise passengers
• 2025: 226,247 cruise passengers

The 2025 figures represent a critical milestone, exceeding the 213,765 passengers recorded in 2019. While PPA national data for March and April 2026 is currently undergoing validation, early indicators suggest this growth trend is persisting.

The growth in cruise tourism is decentralizing, moving beyond the capital to distribute visitor traffic across the archipelago.

Active Regional Hubs: PPA-managed ports currently receiving regular cruise traffic include:

• Coron
• Puerto Princesa
• Currimao
• Salomague

Planned Development Zones: Further cruise-port infrastructure projects are advancing in the following locations:

• Coron (Palawan)
• Alegria (Buruanga, Aklan)
• Catagbacan (Loon, Bohol)
• Balbagon (Mambajao, Camiguin)

To support this influx, the PPA is implementing facility upgrades including covered walkways, improved gangways, and modernized restrooms. Sustainability initiatives are also being integrated, specifically the introduction of solar lighting and electric-powered port equipment.

The evolution of the Philippines from a "port of call" to a "homeport" destination is a strategic pivot that reduces reliance on foreign hubs like Singapore or Hong Kong. By increasing turnaround calls, the Philippines captures a higher share of the "pre- and post-cruise" spend, including hotel stays and local retail.

The expansion into secondary ports like Bohol and Camiguin is a calculated move to prevent over-tourism in Manila and Palawan while stimulating economic growth in underdeveloped provinces. The success of this model depends entirely on the PPA's ability to scale infrastructure at the same rate as passenger growth.

The Philippines is no longer just a stop on a Southeast Asian itinerary; it is becoming the anchor of the region's cruise economy.

The Philippines is quickly "becoming the anchor of the region's cruise economy."

Coronavirus Lockdown: Pharmacy Trial, Home Builder, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government. 

The pandemic basically gutted the airline industry. It has yet to fully recover. 

https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/08/12/2548601/cebu-pacific-bleeds-p59-billion-loss-h1/

Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is feeling the pain of price hikes, especially in jet fuel, as it saw its net loss worsen to nearly P6 billion in the first half.

Based on its financial report, Cebu Pacific’s parent Cebu Air Inc. incurred a net loss of P5.89 billion in the six months to June, a reversal of its P8.97-billion profit a year ago.

Cebu Pacific grew its revenue by eight percent to P68.56 billion, buoyed by an across-the-board growth in passenger, cargo and ancillary segments.

Cebu Pacific’s passenger revenues went up by seven percent to P47.24 billion, as it flew close to 14.5 million guests during the period. The airline’s ancillary earnings also went up by 11 percent to P17.36 billion, while cargo revenues rose by 13 percent to P3.97 billion.

However, these gains were offset by a 23-percent jump in expenses to P68.28 billion. The airline saw its flying operations go up by half to P30.88 billion due to higher jet fuel prices.

It also did not help that Cebu Pacific booked foreign exchange losses of P2.46 billion and higher financing costs of P4 billion for aircraft deliveries and engine purchases.

The bright spot for Cebu Pacific is that it has strengthened its market leadership on local flights, powered by an industry-leading fleet of 102 aircraft.

Based on internal estimates, Cebu Pacific has brought up its domestic market share to 60 percent as of June, from 55 percent a year ago.

Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szucs said the second quarter has proven to be the most challenging period in post-pandemic years. The period was marked by jet fuel breaching $200 per barrel due to the Middle East conflict.

“The second quarter was one of the most challenging operating environments that we have faced post-pandemic, driven by the unprecedented spike in fuel prices. Despite these external pressures, the demand for affordable air travel remained resilient, revenue continued to grow and we further strengthened our market leadership,” Szucs said.

To expand revenue sources, Cebu Pacific has capitalized on its fleet capacity by lending aircraft to flag carrier Vietnam Airlines from July to September, a lean season for Philippine air travel.

Cebu Pacific is the country’s biggest airline by fleet and passenger size, operating direct flights to 35 domestic destinations and 26 foreign cities.

Just when things were looking up, the Iran war caused fuel prices to skyrocket thus wiping out any gains. 

This next article might just be an advertisement disguised as an article but it still shows the resiliency of Filipino businesses despite the pandemic. 

https://business.inquirer.net/606128/cosiquien-charts-own-path-as-home-builder

It was in a quaint, family-owned hardware store in Libertad that a young Michael Cosiquien got his start in construction. It was decades before becoming one of the Philippines’ wealthiest tycoons and cofounder of a major engineering and infrastructure company.

There, near Sta. Clara Church in Pasay, he learned the nuts and bolts of construction in the most literal sense. By the age of seven, he was already assembling fluorescent lamps, repairing Christmas lights and handling nearly every task in the store.

“There, I could do almost anything,” Cosiquien, an engineer by training, recalls in an interview with Sunday Biz.

Everything, that is, except lifting the 40-kilogram sacks of cement.

Now in his 50s, and armed with decades of experience in the unforgiving construction industry, the former Megawide Construction Corp. executive is charting a different course.

Cosiquien now chairs ISOC Holdings Inc., the company he founded after leaving Megawide in 2017. ISOC has interests in property, energy and cold storage.

In 2025, Forbes ranked him the 46th richest person in the Philippines with an estimated net worth of $255 million.

Like the Pasay hardware store, which eventually shut its doors during the pandemic, ISOC had also begun as a family venture focused on cold storage. Cosiquien now wants to turn it into a significant housing developer known for what he calls “affordable luxury.”

“We want to be one of the relevant or important developers here,” Cosiquien says. “I’m not really dreaming of becoming the biggest, but we want to be always relevant.”

ISOC’s flagship development is I-Land Residences Sucat, a six-tower condominium complex launched in 2019. Construction began in 2020, just as the pandemic disrupted the property market and forced developers to rethink their projects.

But building through crises was nothing new to Cosiquien. He and his De La Salle classmate, Edgar Saavedra, founded Megawide in 1997 at the height of the Asian financial crisis.

Despite the pandemic and the lingering residential property glut, ISOC sees demand remaining resilient. The first two towers at I-Land Residences had been largely taken up, while more than half of the units released in the third tower had already been sold even before construction began.

According to the company, sales volume has grown by 7 percent from a year earlier, while sales value has risen by about 18 percent.

As an added catalyst to that growth, ISOC is allocating around P500 million for residential development this year. Cosiquien estimates each succeeding tower will require investments of nearly P1 billion.

For Cosiquien, affordable luxury is about giving buyers something that is increasingly difficult to find in Metro Manila: space.

At I-Land Residences, vehicles are routed below the main pedestrian level, leaving the ground floor open for people instead of traffic. About 60 percent of the property is devoted to open spaces, along with amenities such as swimming pools, a basketball court, a jogging path and a pet park.

“You only find that in high-end developments,” Cosiquien says. “Space is a luxury. But we made it affordable.”

“Low-cost doesn’t mean low-standard,” he adds.

Units are priced from roughly P3.7 million to P7 million, with typical floor areas of about 24 square meters. Cosiquien says the project is geared primarily toward end-users rather than investors.

All of ISOC’s projects remain internally funded. But will taking the company public eventually be an option for the businessman who helped steer Megawide’s stock market debut in 2011?

“No plans yet,” Cosiquien says. “We’re just focusing on building and growing.”

Even so, ISOC is already preparing to bring its concept beyond Sucat.

I-Land has acquired a roughly 1.5-hectare property along Daang Hari in Cavite, near Vermosa and about 20 minutes from Alabang. Cosiquien says the vertical development is expected to break ground next year.

That planned Cavite community is expected to remain within the company’s affordable-luxury niche.

“We don’t want to serve the rich; they can have five houses,” Cosiquien says. “But those who can afford one, we want to provide them the best.”

After helping build Megawide into the multibillion-peso infrastructure company it is today, and decades after first learning construction in a family-run hardware store, Cosiquien is unsurprisingly building again.

This time, he hopes the structures that bear his imprint are homes within reach of more Filipinos.

He wants to build affordable homes and all that but with the economy in the state it's in is that even something within reach for the average Filipino?

The Pharmally scandal which happened during the pandemic has still not been resolved. In fact, this week, the trial has just begun.

https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/17/doh-officials-testify-at-duque-graft-trial-on-agency-s-capacity-to-procure-covid-19-supplies-1158

The Department of Health could buy its own supplies without having to go through the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management, two DOH officials told the Sandiganbayan First Division on Monday in the graft trial of former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

The two were testifying in the case against Duque and former PS-DBM Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao over the alleged irregular transfer of P41.46 billion in DOH funds to buy COVID-19 supplies. 

They said they had no personal knowledge of DOH leadership's decision to transfer funds to the PS-DBM.

The defense questioned the witnesses’ credibility and capacity to speak for the entire agency on its ability to handle the purchase of the supplies involved in the case.

Defense lawyers also argued that the pandemic created an unprecedented demand for medical supplies, which led to shortages that made it difficult for the DOH to procure items.

Bilao acknowledged that procurement became more difficult during the pandemic.

Prosecutors allege that Duque and Lao acted with evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence when they facilitated the transfer DOH funds to the PS-DBM for the procurement of COVID-19 test kits, face masks and other medical supplies.

Former Senator Richard Gordon says he is willing to testify. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2286024/richard-gordon-willing-to-testify-in-sandiganbayan-pharmally-trial/amp

Prosecutors on Monday said former Sen. Richard Gordon is “willing” to testify in the Sandiganbayan First Division trial related to the Pharmally issue.

The First Division is trying the graft case against former Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III and former Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao over the alleged anomalies in the transfer of over P41 billion in Covid-19 response funds.

Of the amount, more than P11 billion of contracts were allocated to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. for the procurement of face masks, face shields, test kits, and other medical items during the pandemic, getting the biggest amount won by a single pandemic medical supplier, according to Gordon.

Gordon said this developed despite Pharmally being only a months-old company at that time with a paid-up capital of only P625,000 when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

The former senator was the chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in 2021, which led a probe into the alleged “suspicious” transfer of funds from the DOH to the Procurement Service (PS) of the DBM.

“He’s very much willing,” a member of the prosecution team told reporters when asked if Gordon is willing to testify.

However, the prosecutor said there is no definite date yet as to when Gordon will take the witness stand.

For Monday’s trial, the prosecution team presented two witnesses from the DOH in a bid to prove that the agency could procure medical supplies on its own. 

In line with this, prosecutors presented Wafa Bilao of the DOH Central Office’s Health Facility Enhancement Program and Dennis Casimiro of the DOH Health Emergency Management Bureau as witnesses.

Bilao and Casimiro testified that the agency previously purchased medical supplies such as mechanical ventilation and body bags.

Government prosecutors alleged that Duque and Lao “acted with evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence,” noting that the DOH, then led by Duque, should have first determined whether tapping the PS-DBM would expedite the procurement of COVID-19 medical items. 

They assert that the DOH, as the procuring entity, had the authority to directly negotiate or purchase essential medical supplies, making it unnecessary to seek the services of the PS-DBM.

The wheels of justice spin slowly in the Philippines.