Lagen Island in Palawan is better than Bali and Maldives

Goodbye Bali, So Long Maldives: This Philippines Secluded Island Sanctuary Is A New Hotspot For Pristine Beaches

Kirtana Menon
Islands.com
20 September 2026

Over the last decade, Indian Ocean beauties like Bali and the Maldives have carved out a space for themselves as some of the world's premier beach destinations. Each place welcomes millions of tourists every year, eager to swim in the area's characteristic crystal-clear water and sunbathe on the beach. However, following a year-long renovation, an old hidden-gem island in the Philippines has reopened its doors to prospective visitors in 2026 and re-emerged as a new hotspot for secluded, stunning beaches and nature-based stays: Lagen Island.

Lagen Island is a privately owned island in the Palawan province of the Philippines. The province consists of nearly 2,000 islands, with Palawan Island as its main hub. Lagen Island lies off the northwestern edge of Palawan Island in Bacuit Bay, near the town of El Nido, which is particularly famous for limestone karst cliffs, vibrant turquoise waters, and island-hopping tours. However, since Lagen Island is owned by its namesake resort, only guests of the resort are allowed onto the island.

The journey to Lagen Island Resort begins with a plane ride to El Nido Airport. From there, the resort arranges private, approximately 30-minute speedboat rides to the island, where you get your first glimpse of Lagen Island's tranquil, sandy beaches set in a quiet cove, framed by the island's looming, dark green, rainforest-covered mountains. Visitors can choose from four accommodation options at Lagen Island Resort. Water Villas provide that quintessential luxury island experience with overwater villas and decks that lead straight into the sea. The Forest Rooms, Forest Deluxe Rooms, and Forest Suites offer a similarly immersive experience of the surrounding land, set in tranquil woods toward the back of the resort.

Lagen Island's pristine beach beauty and luxury eco-tourism

Lagen Island Resort's renovation centered on the idea of providing luxury without harming the surrounding ecosystem, so the resort only occupies about 15 acres of the island, with the remaining land left completely untouched. The resort sits in a secluded cove, with a serene white-sand beach leading to shallow waters perfect for playing and splashing around in. With only 42 rooms, guests at Lagen Island Resort can look forward to the feeling of a private island experience complete with the island-hopping tours that characterize the dreamy, tropical tourist area of El Nido. Aside from the main beach in front of the resort, a trek through the island's rainforest leads to another, even more secluded private beach.

The resort organizes island-hopping tours for those who want to explore similarly beautiful beaches in nearby islands. These tours allow visitors to explore vibrant lagoons and limestone caves and enjoy activities like snorkeling at Shimizu Island or swimming at Entalula Island, voted Asia's best beach in 2025. You can even go on a night kayaking adventure in search of bioluminescence similar to the famous "Sea of Stars" of Vaadhoo Island in the Maldives.

While "luxury" has long been considered the antithesis of "eco-friendly," the kind of luxury offered at Lagen Island relies heavily on its untouched natural state. The resort offers spa services, customized tours, and air-conditioned rooms, but offsets that by having a firm no-plastic policy and ensuring its waste doesn't end up polluting the island. The real luxury on offer here is the experience of a serene, tropical beach paradise nestled away from the noise of popular tourist destinations.

PH secures historic back-to-back Miss Elite victory in Egypt, wins Top Model Universe 2026 in Turkey

PH cops win at Miss Elite 2026 in Egypt, Top Model of Universe in Turkiye

Armin P. Adina
Inquirer.net
19 September 2026

The Philippines further asserted its status as an international pageant powerhouse by posting victories in two competitions that took place in two different countries in one night.

Sophia Bianca Santos was crowned Miss Elite 2026 in Somabay, Egypt, on Sept. 18 (19 in Manila), posting an unprecedented back-to-back for the Philippines.

The Kapampagan contender emerged victorious from a field of 36 aspirants to suceed Filipino queen Juvyel Anne Saluta who won at the previous staging of the pageant held in 2024. She, however, was not able to personally crown Santos.

In Turkiye, Merianne Gabrielle Dekit became the first Filipino woman to top the female category of the Top Model of Universe competition, besting 23 other competitors for the title.

The two Filipino contenders also scored early wins before they clinched their respective titles. Santos was proclaimed Best in Evening Gown, while Dekit topped the online popularity poll.

During the Miss Elite question round, Santos was asked why she should represent the brand to the world. She mentioned that she had waited two years to get to that stage.

“I want to share my story that I grew up in a public market to help my mom with our finances. That taught me the value of hard work and the importance of never giving up. And that’s why I am here, I will represent my beloved country, the Philippines,” she said.

“And if I were to win tonight I am ready. I am ready not only to wear the crown, but also to carry the responsibility with a heart, a purpose, and authenticity,” Santos capped her response. 

It had been a long journey for Santos to get to represent the Philippines on the international stage since her first foray on the national stage via the 2024 Miss World Philippines pageant.

Krishnah Gravidez won the top prize, with three more ladies claiming other national titles, while Santos settled for the “Second Princess” placement.

Santos moved to the Miss Grand Philippines pageant in the same year, but Christine Juliane “CJ” Opiaza bagged the crown, and she receive the Universal Woman Philippines title instead.

But because she was too young to meet the minimum age requirement of the Universal Woman pageant, the organizers were compelled to take her crown and award it to 2024 Miss World Philippines First Princess Jasmine Omay.

Her dream of representing the Philippines in an international competition took the backseat anew, and she waited for the organizers to find another contest where she can raise the country’s flag.

In 2025, after giving up the Universal Woman Philippines title, Santos received news from ALV Pageant Circle that she has been appointed to compete at the Miss Elite pageant in Egypt. But the 2025 staging of the international competition was postponed, and she was made to wait longer.

And two years since stepping on her first national pageant, Santos found herself packing for Egypt to finally represent the Philippines on the international stage. And all her patience paid off.

Manila will make a push to anchor Southeast Asia’s $300-billion creative economy

Philippines vies to be Southeast Asia’s creative economy hub

Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta 
Inquirer.net
18 September 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Manila will make a push to anchor Southeast Asia’s $300-billion creative economy when the region’s heads of state troop to the Philippines in November, where it will pitch a center of excellence dedicated to the sector.

That center, planned for the 21,000-square-meter Likhang Filipino site in Pasay, would be just the second Asean center established in the Philippines, following the Asean Centre for Biodiversity in Los Baños, Laguna.

According to Junie del Mundo, senior adviser for creative economy at the Asean Business Advisory Council Philippines, setting up the center would allow Manila to take the lead in growing the sector, including efforts to improve intellectual property commercialization, financing and market access across the region.

“The onus will be on us, because the center of excellence is here in the Philippines,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Asean creative economy briefing on Thursday.

Del Mundo said the proposal had already cleared Asean economic and culture ministers, leaving it up for the approval of the bloc’s leaders.

Singapore and Thailand are also interested in hosting the center, he said.

Once operational, the center is envisioned to bring together the public and private sectors from Asean member states, providing a focal point for addressing common industry challenges while helping connect creators with financing and markets.

Its financing and governance structures are still being developed, with implementation targeted for 2028.

Hosting the center would also build on the Philippines’ sizable creative economy, which already accounts for one of the larger shares of economic output in the region.

In 2025, the Philippine creative economy was valued at P2.12 trillion, equivalent to 7.6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. That puts the Philippines toward the higher end of estimates across Asean, where creative industries account for roughly 2 to 8 percent of national economies.

A study presented by Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines estimated that creative industries across selected Asean economies generate roughly $300 billion in aggregate annual value in 2025 and about $150 billion in creative goods and services exports in 2024.

The study covered film, animation, game development, fashion and performing arts across all 11 Asean member states.

Filipinos are finally getting well-deserved recognition on the global stage

Liza Soberano: Filipino global recognition is sparking a movement

Kristofer Purnell 
Philstar.com
September 17, 2026 

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos are finally getting well-deserved recognition on the global stage, says Liza Soberano.

Philstar.com exclusively spoke to the actress during the promotional rounds for her latest film "Forgotten Island," a DreamWorks Animation movie inspired by Filipino culture, mythology, and folklore.

Majority of the project's cast and crew is of Filipino descent. Liza leads the voice cast alongside fellow Filipino-American H.E.R., and together even contribute a song on the official soundtrack.

The movie follows best friends Raissa and Jo (Liza and H.E.R., respectively) as they are stranded on the titular island of Nakali, where the only way home may mean losing a lifetime of memories and emotions.

Liza shared her thoughts on what it means to be part of the Filipino community being recognized even more in the global entertainment scene.

The actress began by acknowledging how surreal and honored she feels being part of the project itself.

"I feel like this is kind of a movement," Liza continued. "There's so many Filipinos all over the world that are kind of having a moment in film, music, and food space."

She noted how exciting it was to see people form other cultures taking interest or having curiosity for Philippine culture and finding the beauty in it.

"Us, Filipinos, we love to travel the world and experience other people's cultures so it's nice that we're finally also getting that [kind of] reactions to our culture," Liza added.

"Forgotten Island" also features the voices of Lea Salonga, Dolly de Leon, Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy, Filipino-Canadian actor Manny Jacinto, Filipino-American actress Amielynn Abellera, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, and Ronny Chieng.

Directed by Joel Crawford and Filipino-American Januel Mercado, it hits Philippine cinemas this September 23.

Philippines maintains spot in Global Gender Gap index 2026

Philippines retains spot in Global Gender Gap index

Louella Desiderio 
The Philippine Star 
September 17, 2026 

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines held on to the 20th spot out of 145 economies in this year’s Global Gender Gap Index released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The report, which tracks progress in closing the gender gap, showed that the Philippines maintained its ranking even as its gender parity score declined slightly to 78 percent this year from 78.1 percent last year.

It also showed that the Philippines remained one of the most consistent and higher ranked performers in East Asia and the Pacific, placing third in this year’s edition.

“Despite this, the Philippines has failed to keep the momentum that kept the economy in the top 10 on 13 prior editions,” the WEF said.

Over the last two decades, the Philippines has narrowed the overall gender gap by 2.8 percentage points from 75.2 percent in 2006.

WEF ranks economies by looking at gender parity across four dimensions: economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment.

In economic participation, the Philippines placed 17th with a score of 78.3 percent, down from the previous year’s 13th spot and 79 percent score.

WEF said the result also reduces the country’s two-decade advancement to a total of +2.5 percentage points over its 2006 score as economic indicators had varying trajectories.

When it comes to educational attainment, the Philippines ranked 89th with a score of 98.9 percent. The ranking is down from last year’s 87th spot, but the score improved slightly from 98.8 percent.

In terms of health and survival, the Philippines’ rank and score improved to 76th and 96.9 percent, respectively, from last year’s 85th and 96.7 percent.

The Philippines also saw its ranking and score improve in political empowerment to 27th and 37.9 percent, respectively, from 30th and 37.7 percent last year.

Overall, Iceland topped the rankings for the 17th consecutive year, with 93 percent of the gender gap closed.

This was followed by Finland and Norway, which placed second and third for the third year running.

Completing the top 10 are Namibia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, Australia, Germany and Ireland.

WEF managing director Saadia Zahidi said that the data in the last 20 years show that gender parity is achievable, with economies at every income level making progress.

Philippines forecast to be second fastest-growing economy in SE Asia through 2035

Philippines projected to be second fastest-growing economy in SE Asia until 2035

BusinessWorld
September 17, 2026

THE PHILIPPINES could emerge as Southeast Asia’s second fastest-growing major economy over the next decade, with growth averaging 5.8% through 2035, according to a report by Bain & Company, DBS Group Holdings, and Vriens & Partners. 

In the Southeast Asia Outlook 2026-2035 report released on Wednesday, the Philippine economy is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.8% from 2026 to 2035 under the baseline scenario.

“The Philippines, which has a favorable demographic tailwind, could grow at a 5.8% average annual rate as consumption, infrastructure, and governance reforms unlock investment,” the report said.

This would make the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) growth the second-fastest among the six major Southeast Asian economies covered by the report, behind only Vietnam, which is projected to expand by an average of 6.2% annually until 2035.

The Philippine economy is expected to outpace Indonesia (5.4%), Malaysia (4.3%), Singapore (2.7%), and Thailand (2.2%).

Philippine GDP growth over the 10-year horizon is also above the 4.8% average for the six Southeast Asian economies.

The latest regional forecast for Southeast Asia is slower than the earlier average expansion of 5.1% for the 2024-2034 period, reflecting a more complex and volatile global environment.

However, the Philippine economy is experiencing a sharp slowdown this year, averaging 2.6% in the first half. The government is targeting 3.5%-4.5% GDP growth for 2026, and 5%-6% annually from 2027 to 2030.

Despite its relatively strong baseline forecast, the Philippines is also among the Southeast Asian economies facing the greatest downside exposure, according to the report.

The report noted that Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand would be the most exposed under a downside scenario because of their “capital-flow sensitivities, energy dependence, political uncertainty, and weaker structural momentum.”

Under more favorable global conditions, the Philippines could also capture less upside than Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam, which are better positioned to benefit from their roles in capital intermediation and global manufacturing supply chains. 

“Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines see more limited benefit, as persistent structural constraints limit their ability to translate an improved external environment into stronger growth,” the report said.

The Philippines’ favorable demographics, steady remittance inflows, and consumption-led  economic model provide some insulation from disruptions to global trade, it added.

However, it warned that the country’s dependence on imported energy, weaknesses in policy implementation and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven disruption to the outsourcing industry could prevent the economy from reaching its full potential.

The report also pointed to longer-term risks from AI-driven automation to the country’s business process outsourcing industry.

“Without stronger energy security and governance consistency, growth could be capped below the Philippines’ potential,” it said.

The report said that one of the Philippines’ immediate challenges is managing the transition to AI.

“The next few years will be critical; the Philippines must move into higher-value services while sustaining reform momentum through its next leadership transition,” it said.

The country also needs to strengthen its energy system, as gains in Philippine technology services have been constrained partly by limitations in the power grid. 

Across Southeast Asia, the report said growth over the next decade will increasingly depend on stronger institutions, more reliable energy systems and the ability to use AI to raise productivity.

“Dependence on imported energy quickly turns external price shocks into household inflation, while weak policy implementation hinders the conversion of investment commitment into actual deployment,” the report said.

It said grid capacity and reliability will be increasingly important in determining whether economies can expand their industrial bases and support power-intensive AI infrastructure.

The Philippines has already fallen short of the report’s earlier growth expectations. From 2024 to 2025, the economy grew by an average of 5.1%, compared with the 6.1% average assumed in their previous 2024-2034 forecast.

“The Philippines saw growth impeded by weaker investment and public sector execution,” the report said. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Philippines is 'Country of Honor' at China-ASEAN Expo 2026

Philippines is 'Country of Honor' at China-ASEAN Expo 2026

Stanley Palisada
ABS-CBN News
September 15, 2026

MANILA — The Philippines is launching its largest commercial delegation in the history of the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), taking center stage as this year's official "Country of Honor."

 

The country's participation in the 23rd edition of the trade mission between China and ASEAN showcases the Philippines' rapidly expanding industrial ecosystem and robust economic capabilities on the international stage.

Running from September 17 to 21, 2026, at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Guangxi, China, the milestone marks the Philippines' second time earning the prestigious designation since the first one in 2013. The recognition underscores the nation's technological agility, increasingly resilient supply chains, and thriving green economy.

Global Push for High-Value Exports

The Philippines brings together 313 participants representing 73 high-value export enterprises. These businesses are displaying a diverse selection of goods, ranging from processed food and agriculture to home furnishings, fashion accessories, and artisanal crafts. Operating under the banner PARTNERPhilippines, these enterprises demonstrate the country's rising value as an indispensable ASEAN trade partner.

"This year's participation is forged by the ambition and product innovation of Filipino exhibitors, backed by whole-of-government support. Every deal closed directly feeds into economic growth, elevating Philippine exports," stated the Center for International Trade, Exposition and Missions (CITEM), the agency spearheading the country's expo efforts.

Cebu, the province of charm

Highlighting regional development and local institutional capabilities, Cebu province takes the spotlight as CAEXPO's official "Province of Charm."

Sustaining an impressive 7.3 percent annual economic growth rate, Cebu is leveraging the platform to showcase its robust manufacturing core and world-class logistics. Anchored by the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and strategic deepwater ports, the province is aggressively positioning itself as a premier gateway for foreign investments and creative industries.

Philippine investment talks

Capitalizing on the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), the Philippine delegation is expanding far beyond traditional commodity trading. The Board of Investments (BOI) is spearheading the Philippine Investment Forum to attract foreign capital into high-growth, future-ready sectors, including renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, green metals, high-tech manufacturing, modern healthcare, pharmaceuticals, digital infrastructure, and data centers.

Building on prior successes, the 2026 delegation is well-positioned to break historical export records. Through CAEXPO 2026, the Philippines aims to cement its ongoing transformation into an innovative, sustainable, and highly competitive economic powerhouse in the region.