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Sam Beltran
SCMP Contributor
Sam Beltran is a journalist based in Manila who has written for publications in the Philippines and around Asia. Her stories explore food, lifestyle scenes, popular trends, and sub-cultures as windows into society and the human condition.
Sam Beltran is a journalist based in Manila who has written for publications in the Philippines and around Asia. Her stories explore food, lifestyle scenes, popular trends, and sub-cultures as windows into society and the human condition.
Languages Spoken:
English
Observers warn the Pogo industry’s replication in Pakistan is part of ‘a natural progression’ for illegal networks.
While seeking stable ties with its largest trading partner, Australia must also ‘maintain credibility as a regional stabiliser’, analysts say.
‘You can cancel a screening, but you cannot cancel a story whose time has come,’ ‘Food Delivery’ director Baby Ruth Villarama says.
Sherwin Gatchalian says the bill is a priority for Congress to pass, but analysts warn Manila must tackle patronage politics as well.
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Trump says the tariff on Philippine exports to the US is necessary to address what he calls Washington’s ‘unsustainable’ trade deficit.
A surge in online gambling sites and Filipinos hooked on them has led to lawmakers seeking a ban against the ‘silent epidemic’.
Political power remains concentrated within a small circle of elite families, the team monitoring the Philippines midterm polls say.
Lawmakers have been trying to pass a divorce law since 2005, but continue to face resistance in the Catholic-majority country.
Strategy will treat the East and South China seas as a unified theatre of operations as regional allies align against Beijing’s growing influence.
The former Bamban mayor is now in detention, facing Pogos-linked charges of human trafficking, money laundering and corruption.
Filipinos are lamenting their nation’s seventh-place regional tourism ranking, pointing fingers at poor infrastructure and inaccessibility.
Suspect ‘Totoy’ also claims a popular female celebrity is among those who knew about the disappearance of 34 cock fighters in 2021-22.
Many of those recently arrested for online scams were former Pogo workers who ‘branched out on their own’, cybercrime chief says.
Relations between the two countries have been tested over the Malaysian state of Sabah and Manila’s maritime laws.
Viral videos created by Filipinos who’ve already made the leap offer relatable, real-life insights into a complex migration system.
Diplomatic rift raises fresh questions over Asean unity and bloc’s ability to mediate conflicts between member states, observers say.
Manila is hoping for a bigger say in global conflict resolution and its South China Sea dispute with Beijing.
The far-right Philippine Falangist Front seeks to evoke nostalgia for Spanish rule while calling for Catholic authoritarianism.
As 75 per cent of overseas foreign workers are carers, worries about their wards and livelihood are holding most back, an advocate says.
LA’s Asian communities, including the largest Filipino population in the US, are mobilising against the ‘military-style raids’ and anxiety.
Photos of a woman crawling out of a sewer have sparked debate on the lack of help and authorities’ punitive approach towards those living on the streets.
A senior official says a detention facility in Pasay, where many linked to Pogos are held, is finding it hard to cope with overcrowding.
However, a ‘delicate balance’ should still be maintained to avoid any escalation, analysts warn.
Observers say closed channel over terrorist threat ‘illogical’ and a setback to long-standing relations with affected countries.
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, said the banned accounts were used to influence views favourable towards the Philippine president.
Analysts say quiet incursions are part of a deliberate effort by China to normalise its presence in previously unpatrolled areas.
Their newly ratified reciprocal access agreement paves the way for Japanese forces to train on Philippine soil for the first time since WWII.
France is seeking ratification of the High Seas Treaty by at least 60 countries ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice next week.
Former US defence official Ely Ratner says it’s time for the ‘viable and essential’ four-way defence pact. Security experts aren’t so sure.
