New Philippine growth centers beyond Manila

 OPINION

The Philippines beyond Manila

By Stephen Hale
Malaya Business Insight
October 27, 2026

For generations, Metro Manila has been the center of the Philippines’ economic ambitions. It is where many of the country’s largest companies are headquartered, where professional opportunities are concentrated, and where young Filipinos have traditionally looked to build successful careers. But across the country, a different economic story is gradually taking shape.

Makati City, Metro Manila

In cities such as Iloilo, Bacolod, Clark, and Cagayan de Oro, new commercial districts, residential developments, hotels, and entertainment venues reflect changing local economies. These places are not simply growing in size. They are developing the businesses, services, and amenities that make them increasingly attractive places to work, live, and invest.

An important part of this transformation involves Filipinos now in their late twenties and thirties. Many are educated, professionally ambitious, digitally connected, and increasingly interested in what a successful life should look like. A good career remains important, but so does time for family, enjoying weekends, traveling, and pursuing interests beyond the workplace.

These aspirations are hardly unique to the Philippines. What makes them particularly interesting here is their potential to influence where economic growth occurs.

Consider Iloilo, where universities, healthcare institutions, and an expanding business district contribute to a more diversified local economy. Bacolod, long associated with agriculture and its distinctive cultural identity, has attracted investment in business services, retail, and residential development. Clark, meanwhile, benefits from major infrastructure investment and its growing role as a transportation and commercial hub.

Iloilo City

Bacolod City

Clark, Angeles City

Each has a different economic foundation, but all illustrate the possibility of building opportunity beyond the capital.

For young professionals, the appeal is not necessarily another shopping mall or high-rise condominium. It may be the prospect of a rewarding career without spending hours commuting, purchasing a home within reasonable distance of work, or having the flexibility to enjoy an evening with friends while still spending meaningful time with family.

The most promising provincial cities may not be those that become smaller versions of Manila, but those that offer something Manila increasingly struggles to provide: a balance between opportunity and quality of life.

There is an important economic dimension to these changing expectations. A growing population of professionals, entrepreneurs, and young families creates demand for goods and services, encouraging investment and supporting local businesses. As those businesses expand, they generate employment, attract additional investment, and contribute to a broader local economy.

This is how regional growth can become self-reinforcing. A new employer attracts skilled workers. Those workers support local businesses. Improved services make the city more appealing to other employers and residents. Over time, a provincial economy can develop greater depth and become less dependent on a handful of traditional industries.

Of course, this transformation is neither uniform nor guaranteed. Many provincial communities continue to face limited employment opportunities, modest wages, unreliable infrastructure, and gaps in essential services. New commercial developments alone do not establish a prosperous local economy, and the lifestyles enjoyed by some young professionals remain beyond the financial reach of many families.

That is why the next stage of regional development will require more than private investment in buildings and retail centers. Reliable transportation, effective local government, quality education, healthcare, and a business environment that encourages entrepreneurship are equally important. Better connections to domestic and international markets can also help local enterprises grow beyond their immediate communities.

There is a broader opportunity here for the Philippines. Rather than concentrating so much economic activity in one metropolitan region, the country can cultivate several strong regional centers, each drawing upon its own industries, institutions, culture, and geographic advantages.

This need not diminish Manila’s importance. The capital will remain an economic powerhouse. But a country with multiple thriving urban centers offers businesses more places to invest, families more choices about where to settle, and young people more ways to pursue their ambitions.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this emerging story is that it is about more than economic statistics or construction projects. It is about the expectations of a generation that wants not only to earn a living, but to enjoy the life that comes with it.

The future of the Philippine economy will not be measured solely by how much Manila continues to grow, but by how many other places become cities where young Filipinos can build careers, raise families, enjoy life, and imagine a future.

PH ube industry receives grant from US gov

Philippine ube industry bolstered by international funding

Liam O'Callaghan

Fruitnet.com (Australia)

27 October 2026

US grant to support plans to double production and increase exports

The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) has welcomed a US$34.1mn grant from the US to develop the country’s ube industry, complementing a separate P300mn (US$4.7mn) government initiative to expand production as global demand for the purple yam grows.

The five-year US-funded programme is expected to benefit more than 12,500 Filipino farmers and strengthen the country’s participation in international food and beverage supply chains, while the DA’s domestic expansion plan seeks to at least double output and lay the groundwork for wider cultivation.

Agriculture secretary Francisco P Tiu Laurel Jr said the US assistance would reinforce government efforts to increase production, improve farmers’ incomes and foster rural development by connecting growers to expanding overseas markets.

“We are grateful to the US government and the US Department of Agriculture for this support, which will help us scale up ube production, meet growing global demand, realize the tuber’s potential as an export winner, and create better income opportunities for our farmers,” said Tiu Laurel.

“By strengthening the entire value chain, we can turn ube into a more competitive agricultural product while fostering inclusive growth in rural communities.”

The US government, through the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food for Progress Program, awarded the grant for the development of the Philippine ube value chain.

US ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton announced the funding on 22 October.  US-based nonprofit TechnoServe will implement the project and provide technical expertise to support industry development.

The DA had earlier earmarked P300mn for the initial expansion of ube production, targeting a doubling of the area currently planted to the crop. The first phase forms part of a broader plan to add 1,000ha in the first year.

The department is budgeting about P850,000 per hectare for farm development, support facilities, and production. The initial rollout is timed for the November 2026 harvest and propagation cycle, with ten ube varieties identified for large-scale cultivation.

Tiu Laurel said the government intends to expand the industry gradually as Philippine ube gains international attention, avoiding the supply imbalances and production problems that have affected other high-value crops following sudden surges in overseas demand.

The DA chief had earlier underscored that the government is developing the ube industry at a steady pace to limit, if not avoid, the missteps the Philippines made with previous high-value crops that drew strong overseas demand.

To this end, the government indefinitely suspended exports of fresh purple yam, or ube, in mid-August to shore up scarce planting material as the Philippines seeks to expand domestic production and turn the crop into a bigger export earner. 

The suspension covers fresh ube and propagative planting materials regardless of whether shipments are intended for consumption, planting, or research. 

Filipino artists in Baltimore art scene

In Baltimore, Filipino American artists are finally taking the spotlight

Wesley Case
The Baltimore Banner (USA)
26 October 2026

Sitting in her Greenmount West art studio, Thea Canlas can’t help but smile when asked about the moment Filipino American artists in Baltimore are having right now.

“I love it,” Canlas said last week from Area 405, the studios on East Oliver Street.
“I mean, I don’t want to be the only one, right?”

For a group that’s often felt collectively overlooked, that’s not a concern in Charm City today.

Canlas made headlines this summer by winning the Janet and Walter Sondheim Art Prize, along with $30,000, for her thoroughly researched textile installations.

In the same competition, Anna Divinagracia was named a semifinalist for her layered, often photo-driven sculptural objects. Meanwhile, composer and musician Mark Kent Navarro became a finalist for the Baker Artist Awards — another annual competition for the area’s best artists — for the third time since 2023.

What do they all have in common? They’re thriving in Charm City by exploring deeply personal themes like Filipino American identity, assimilation and perseverance through inventive, thoroughly considered pieces of art.

In turn, they’re making the region’s arts scene, and beyond, take closer notice of a vibrant culture.

“It’s an incredibly exciting moment for any historically underrecognized group to be recognized in these institutional spaces and also so supported by their local communities,” said Dylan K. Hill, a contemporary art curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

And it goes beyond awards: Baltimore’s Ralph Bernabe, who moved to America from the Philippines at 13, performs charming indie-pop as Plant Dad, while Tara Cariaso has made a name for herself as a queer theater artist, directing plays and crafting striking masks for the stage.

Earlier this month — fittingly Filipino American History Month — I caught up with Canlas, Divinagracia and Navarro to hear how they use their art practices to better understand themselves and their heritage’s worth.

Thea Canlas

When Thea Canlas learned she was moving from the Philippines to America, she was ecstatic. The pre-teen was already enamored with “Baywatch” and other Western pop culture that had made its way east.

“It was exciting,” Canlas, now 43, recalled. “It was a privilege.”

Did reality match up with her fantasy? Canlas burst out laughing at the question.

“Let’s just say all the work has been reckoning with all of it,” she said. “It’s like, why did I grow up thinking all of this was of less value?”

She’s unpacking this question, and much more, through “Value Studies,” an ongoing series that reimagines items like overseas Filipino workers’ uniforms, detailed with pearls and human teeth, and flags made from Filipino textiles to explore the effects of colonialism and global capitalism on the Southeast Asian country.

Baltimore artist Thea Canlas made uniforms and flags from embroidered piña cloth in her “Value Studies” series, shown here at the Walters Art Museum’s Hackerman House. (David Sloan)

Thea Canlas created a military uniform with pineapple cloth. (Jerry Jackson/The Banner)

A child’s school uniform created with pineapple cloth was part of the portfolio of work created by Filipina American artist Thea Canlas that won the Janet and Walter Sondheim Art Prize. (Jerry Jackson/The Banner)

Canlas has found a rush of success through her thoughtful work, having made the transition from marketer to artist just during the pandemic.

The former Walters Art Museum employee returned to the Mount Vernon institution in August to receive the annual Sondheim Art Prize, one of the top awards for visual artists in the region. Jurors look to award contemporary artists “on the cusp of making a leap in their work,” according to Create Baltimore, which presents the Sondheim with the Walters.

Canlas is still processing the full-circle win.

“It was very weird. Surreal,” said Canlas, a Maryland Institute College of Art graduate.

Next year will be focused on recharging and working on a Baltimore exhibition for 2028, she said, with plans to visit the Philippines to buy materials and learn how to basketweave for future work.

It’s a time to take stock of her accomplishment, but Canlas plans to only dig deeper into her art in order to better understand her place in the world. “I’m barely scratching the surface,” she said.

Anna Divinagracia

At age 12, it didn’t take Anna Divinagracia long to realize that her new home of Baltimore was a far, far cry from her native Davao City in the southern Philippines.

Food servings. Interstate highways. Clothes. “Everything is just bigger in America,” Divinagracia said recently.

Divinagracia first turned to photography to help make sense of her new reality. But these days she creates rich three-dimensional works, often using materials both familiar — wood, photographs of Baltimore and the Philippines — and unexpected, such as documents from the green card application process.

The latter, “A Game of Dreams,” reimagines Pabitin, a traditional Filipino game similar to a piñata. Instead of candy or toys, she tied dollar bills and “Welcome to the United States” pamphlets to barbed wire.

“I was thinking about what made me want to stay here,” Divina said.

She was used to telling other people’s stories through photos. The switch to these sculptural installations helped the 29-year-old artist, who prefers to go by Divina, realize she had her own story to tell.

“It took an intentional shift around 2020, for me to look internally and think about like, what does my story look like and what would it look like to tell that?” she said.

Her 2025 solo exhibition at Creative Alliance, “Pandarayuhan: Home is a Memory,” offered a tantalizing view of Divina’s narrative. “Mom’s Ref,” a highlight, allowed viewers a peek into her mother’s actual refrigerator, filled with leftovers in tupperware and condiments bought from H-Mart and American grocery stores.

To Divina, who’s “into the idea of people being preserved in the objects that they touch,” it’s a self-portrait of her mother.

“Memory is a fleeting thing for me,” the Morgan State alumna said. “So creating these objects and making magic out of it — imbuing it with them, their spirit — I think, is the art process right now.”

Like Canlas’ work, Divina’s intricate art is best seen in person. Readers can view some of it now in “A Case for the Muse,” a group exhibition at the Compound in East Baltimore on display through Oct. 30.

Mark Kent Navarro

What does home mean to Mark Kent Navarro?

The Filipino American musician and composer returned to the streets that raised him to find out.

For his new album, “Long Live,” Navarro went back to each Baltimore street where he once lived to record whatever sounds he picked up. The field recordings became the catalysts for each track, with Navarro playing every instrument, including piano, guitar and bass.

Growing up in Remington with his sister, Kat, Navarro remembers a sheltered childhood as the only Asian family on their Hampden Avenue block. His mother and grandmother worried about nearby violence.

“I remember when I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to play outside,” Navarro says over dramatic piano notes and a staccato drum pattern early on in the nine-track EP. Recorded sounds of birds chirping and passing cars murmur in the distance, recalling a faint memory.

“Moving between homes is a very big aspect of someone’s life,” Navarro said. “I was just thinking about like, even my family changing their home from the Philippines and coming here and just starting all over again.”

Throughout his life, Navarro and his family moved a lot. They scraped by to put Navarro and Kat through private school. Revisiting these stops on a path to a better life reminded Navarro of “the gravity of that kind of sacrifice.”

“I just have such a deeper appreciation for my family in a way that I should have had this entire time,” said Navarro, who’s also an arts technologist at the Baltimore School for the Arts and regularly collaborates with local theatre company Truepenny Projects.

Count the judges of the Baker Arts Award — another competitive contest for the Baltimore area’s rising artists — among Navarro’s fans. He’s been a finalist in 2023, 2025 and 2026 for the honor, which in April whittled down more than 1,000 portfolios to 36 finalists in visual arts, performing arts, photography and other categories. (Canlas was also a finalist.)

Looking ahead, Navarro is planning a listening party for “Long Live” this winter before its release in January.

The 33-year-old will continue to use his music to untangle the “weird struggle” of often feeling more American than Filipino. He looks forward to developing a stronger connection to his cultural roots.

“It’s really me just trying to figure out who I am,” he said.

PH achieves milestone in international aviation safety

PH achieves milestone in international aviation safety

Bernadette E. Tamayo
The Manila Times
26 October 2026

THE Philippines marked another milestone in the country’s commitment to strengthening international aviation safety and security following its accession to the 2014 Montreal Protocol.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) over the weekend said the Philippines deposited its Instrument of Accession to the 2014 Montréal Protocol with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Oct. 16.

The Philippines’ accession follows the completion of its domestic approval process, including the Senate’s concurrence in September 2026, and reflects inter-agency coordinated efforts. “The deposit of our Instrument of Accession underscores the Philippines’ continued support for ICAO’s efforts to promote a safe, secure, and rules-based international civil aviation system,” Philippine Ambassador to Canada Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga said in a statement.

“It also reinforces the country’s commitment to international cooperation in addressing unlawful and disruptive conduct on board aircraft, safeguarding passengers and crew, and strengthening confidence in global air transport,” he said.

The 2014 Montréal Protocol, formally known as the Protocol to Amend the Convention on Offenses and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, updates the 1963 Tokyo Convention to address emerging challenges in international civil aviation, particularly incidents involving unruly and disruptive passengers.

The Protocol strengthens the international legal framework for addressing offenses committed on board aircraft by expanding jurisdiction to include, under specified conditions, the State of Landing and the State of the Operator, in addition to the State of Registration. These provisions help address jurisdictional gaps that may otherwise prevent the effective prosecution of offenses committed during international flights.

Alternate Permanent Representative to ICAO Mary Jaselle Menteer deposited the Instrument of Accession on behalf of the Philippine government. The instrument was received by ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar at the ICAO’s headquarters in Montréal, Canada. Salazar noted that the Philippines is the 65th country to accede to the 2014 Montreal Protocol.

Filipino pastry treat in Virginia Beach

Review: New Filipino bakery’s treats reign supreme in Virginia Beach

Owners’ home-baked goods were so popular that they opened a shop. Rekaya Gibson reviews.

Rekaya Gibson
The Virginian-Pilot
25 October 2026

This frozen-dessert memory is living in my head rent-free: The silvana wafer, coated in cookie crumbs, gives a slight crunch when I sink my teeth into it, its cream filling oozing out. A delightful nuttiness finishes the chew.

Silvana frozen wafers at Loubelle’s Bakehouse are coated with cookie crumbs and filled with cream. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)

And I had, regrettably, ordered just one of the frozen cookie that made me swoon. I should have ordered more at the new Filipino bakery in the Woodtide Shopping Center, near Larkspur Middle School, in Virginia Beach.

Loubelle’s Bakehouse specializes in Filipino fusion goodies, such as halo-halo ube (purple yam) cupcakes. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)

Loubelle’s Bakehouse — a cozy spot with a few seats — specializes in classic treats, breads and other fusion goodies such as halo-halo ube (purple yam) cupcakes and puto flan, which is dulce de leche-drizzled flan on top of fluffy puto (rice cake). Expect mainstays and new flavors each week.

Owners Adriane and Kim Torres, who are from the Philippines, plan to keep the menu interesting and unique while staying true to the culture. The husband-and-wife duo started a home-based business about five years ago in Virginia Beach. Their tasty pastries became a hit with family, friends and other customers, but the couple couldn’t keep up with the demand.

Adriane Torres said a brick-and-mortar gives them more space to sell baked goods and coffee, such as iced lattes.

Kim Torres, who has been baking for six years, wanted to become a fashion designer, but she said it was costly. Instead, she designs cakes, which still allows her to be creative.

Her ube flan cupcake alone let me know she made the right decision because my life hasn’t been the same since Sweet Art Cupcakes in Virginia Beach closed in 2019. My renewed spirit loved the moist and delicate cake, ube-flavored icing and the caramelized custard. It had me in a chokehold, as the young people say — captivated. I couldn’t stop thinking about the purple-crowned goddess as I wrote this.

She doesn’t reign by herself. The pan de coco — a soft bun filled with caramelized shredded coconut — shares equal throne privileges, in my book. Pair it with hot tea for a private moment of pleasure.

This choco butternut doughnut hole, with red streusel crumb coating, tastes slightly sweet with nutmeg and a secret spice adding to its flavor. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)

I also sampled a choco butternut doughnut hole, popular in the Philippines, but it originated in the U.S. in the 1980s, according to Dunkin’. This bite-sized beauty had a dense chocolate cake interior that was too dry for my taste. The nutmeg kick gave it a nice depth of flavor along with the other spice — a secret. And the red streusel crumb coating tasted slightly sweet without leaving an aftertaste.

Loyal customers love those signature bites, cakes, pan de sal (bread rolls) and other creations, so get to the bakehouse when it opens before they sell out for the day.

Filipino elected to board of global cultural heritage organization

Filipino elected to board of global cultural heritage organization

ABS-CBN News
October 25, 2026

MANILA — Filipino landscape architect Gabriel Victor Caballero has been elected a board member of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a global non-government organization working to conserve and protect cultural heritage sites worldwide. 

ICOMOS announced its new board for 2026 to 2029 last Thursday, with Irish architect Grainne Shaffrey serving as president. 

The organization's board also comprises:

Vice Presidents:

• Faisal Abd-Rahman (Malaysia)
• Chilangwa Chaiwa (Zambia)
• HRH Dana Firas (Jordan)
• Marianne Knutsen (Norway)
• Susan McIntyre-Tamwoy (Australia)

Secretary General: Mariana Pereira (Portugal)

Treasurer: Cyrill Von Planta (Austria)

Board members: 

• Olufemi Adetunji (Nigeria)
• Antoine Bruguerolle (France)
• Gabriel Victor Caballero (Philippines)
• Andreas Georgopoulos (Greece)
• Xiaofan Huang (China)
• Yoloxochitl Lucio Origaza (Mexico)
• Celia Martinez Yanez (Spain)
• Nupur Prothi (Sweden)
• Monica Rhodes (USA)
• Eva Roels (Belgium)
• Hee-Kweon Shin (South Korea)
• Yoshiyuki Yamana (Japan)

Before this, Caballero served as ICOMOS International’s focal point for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals from 2021 to 2024. 

In the Philippines, Caballero also serves as director and principal consultant of CALAHE Environmental Consultancy Services, which safeguards heritage places and develops interventions for urban and rural landscapes, according to his LinkedIn page. 

He received the GantimPALA Vanguard Award in 2017 for his contributions in the protection of natural and cultural heritage areas.

Caballero also served as a consultant for the UNESCO National Commission for the Philippines for World Heritage, where he engaged with national agencies and local government units to push for world heritage nominations and sites. 

Philippines opens up new technology corridor for strategic industry

Philippines unveils technology corridor

Manila Standard Business
October 25, 2026

The Board of Investments (BOI) is advancing a broader Philippine Technology Corridor that links strategic industry hubs across the country, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said. 

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton in a photo released on July 31, 2026 after their meeting to discuss the Luzon Economic Corridor and Pax Silica projects. (Courtesy: U.S. Embassy in the Philippines)

The corridor covers advanced manufacturing in New Clark City, IC design in Metro Manila, critical minerals in Mindanao, AI infrastructure in Batangas, connectivity in Aurora and prospective wafer fabrication in Bulacan, Recto said.

The government will underpin the drive by improving infrastructure, developing Filipino talent, implementing predictable rules and resolving investment bottlenecks fairly and quickly.

In Tarlac province, a 1,600-hectare technology and advanced manufacturing hub in New Clark City is forecast to generate 130,000 jobs, Recto said.

The hub is part of the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC), a Subic-Clark-Metro Manila-Batangas link where state and private investment will focus on transport, logistics, energy, digital infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. The LEC aims to create 1 million jobs.

Recto said that electronics and semiconductors are driving merchandise exports to historic levels, with shipments reaching an all-time high of $64 billion in the first eight months of 2026 and strengthening the country’s position in the global technology supply chain.

Recto, chair of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council, said the record output validates President Marcos Jr.’s directive to move the Philippines beyond assembly and into higher-value activities. 

He said investors increasingly see the Philippines as a choice not only for manufacturing and assembly but also for chip design, engineering, research and innovation.

Recto said that as demand for AI, semiconductors and data centers grows, so do opportunities for Filipino workers, engineers and businesses.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that merchandise exports in August rose 27.8 percent from a year ago to $9.1 billion, a 35-year monthly high.

Electronic products drove most of the growth, generating US$6.2 billion, or 68 percent of total exports for the month. From January to August, electronics exports grew 26.2 percent to US$37.1 billion.

The United States remained the top export destination, buying US$12.3 billion worth of goods, or almost 20 percent of the total for the period.

Reflecting industry confidence, the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) raised its 2026 electronics export growth forecast to 10 percent, or about US$54 billion, amid rising global demand for AI and data-center infrastructure.

SEIPI credited the Marcos administration’s CREATE MORE Act for strengthening investment incentives, particularly for registered export enterprises.

Toshiba’s planned multi-billion-peso expansion over the next three years illustrates the trend. The company will ramp up production of high-capacity hard disk drives for data centers, creating about 3,000 jobs.

To sustain the momentum, the Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council recently launched the Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Roadmap, targeting $110 billion in annual exports by 2030.

By then, the government aims to raise the Philippines’ share of global semiconductor assembly, test and packaging from 4 percent to 7 percent and capture 4 percent of global electronics manufacturing services.

Building an integrated circuit (IC) design sector is expected to add $2 billion to $3 billion in annual export receipts.