Peso Slumps to Lowest Rate in Five Years

The peso on August 12 fell to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in the last five years on more hints of a possible hike in Federal Reserve rates next month. The local currency opened at P46 against the dollar, a big drop from the P45.70 yesterday. It traded between its opening level and P46.33. Volume of trade reached US$1.109 billion from the US$1.106 billion yesterday, reports Interaksyon.com.

Fil-Am Transgender Seeks Dual Citizenship Under New Name, Sex

Just like many Filipino Americans, transgender woman Morena Cipriano of New York is planning to spend her retirement in the Philippines when that time comes. She applied for dual citizenship at the Philippine consulate, which informed her that she could get it but only under her previous male name because Philippine law does not recognize gender change at this time, reports ABS-CBN News.

San Francisco Museum Highlights Unique Filipino Fabric

The rich tradition of Philippine weavings and textiles will be in limelight at the Asian Art Museum, thanks to the Hinabi Project, an educational display in the museum’s Resource Center.“The Hinabi Project: The Art of Philippine Textiles,” presents the history and evolution of a unique fabric woven from pineapple leaf fibers. The exhibit, from September 24 to October 12, illustrates the process of extracting pineapple fiber, separating these into fine threads for weaving, embroidery and other embellishments, reports Inquirer.net.

PAL to Offer Non-Stop L.A. to Cebu Flights in 2016

Philippine Airlines will start offering nonstop flights between Cebu and Los Angeles on March 15 next year, as part of the flag carrier's expansion of route operations to the US. The direct flight between Cebu and Los Angeles will take off three times a week, according to a statement PAL released on Thursday. The airline will use the Airbus A340 with 36 lie-flat seats for the business class and 218 regular economy seats for the new service, reports GMA News.

Jollibee Now Has 3,000 Stores Worldwide

Homegrown fast food giant Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) said its store network has reached 3,000 worldwide as of end June-2015. Previously, Jollibee had been opening an average of 100 stores a year in the Philippines. reports Rappler.com.

Toronto's 'Taste of Manila' Festival Awaits Hungry Throngs

TORONTO, Ontario — Mark your calendars, foodies and Pinoy culture trippers!  Taste of Manila 2015 is coming to town on August 22 and 23. Last year’s foodfest drew a crowd of more than 70,000; this year, organizers expect more than 100,000 spectators from the Greater Toronto Area, other places in Ontario, and from the United States. The number of food vendors and exhibitors has doubled–from last year’s 100 to this year’s 200 who have already committed to be part of the event, reports Inquirer.net.

Filipino Students Bag 216 Medals to Win Top Spot in Asian Math Tilt

The Philippine team, composed mostly of students from Metro Manila schools, beat Asian mathematics powerhouses China and Taiwan to emerge as overall champion in the 2015 Singapore International Math Competition (SIMC) held in the Lion City. The young Filipino numbers aces from public and private elementary and secondary schools nationwide bagged a total of 216 medals: 31 golds, 60 silvers and 125 bronze medals, to top the 12-nation contest, reports Inquirer.net.

More Filipinos Optimistic About PH Economy -- Survey

More Filipinos are optimistic the economy will get better next year, even as fewer thought their lives improved in the past year, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed. The Second Quarter Social Weather Report, conducted on June 5-8, also showed that the proportion of Filipinos optimistic about the expected change in their quality of life was unchanged from the last quarter. Net optimism about the economy surged from +6 in March (27 percent optimistic, 20 percent pessimistic, rounded) to +15 in June (31 percent optimistic, 15 percent pessimistic), reports Inquirer.net.