Lea Salonga Receives TIME100 Impact Award

Lea Salonga (Source: Esquiremag.PH)

The 2022 TIME100 Impact Awards recently recognized Salonga as one of the "visionaries who have gone above and beyond to make an impact and move their respective industries forward” (See Esquiremag.ph for story).

PH to Shut 175 Offshore Gambling Firms, Deport 40,000 Chinese Workers

The Philippines will stop operations of 175 offshore gambling firms and deport about 40,000 Chinese workers, a justice ministry official said on Monday, part of a crackdown on the notoriously opaque online gaming industry (See Reuters for story).

'Leonor Will Never Die' Wins Award at Toronto Int'l Film Festival

The Filipino film “Leonor Will Never Die” has won an Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival (See NME.com for story).

Belle Mariano 1st Filipino Woman to Win Top Prize at Seoul Int'l Drama Award

Belle Mariano (Source: koreaboo.com)

Belle Mariano, known in the Philippines for her widely acclaimed television series He’s Into Her, made headlines all over Asia for being the first Filipino woman to win the Outstanding Asian Star award at the 17th Seoul International Drama Awards or SDA (See Koreaboo,com for story).

Filipino in South Africa Wins NY-Based Poetry Award

Jim Pascual Agustin (Source: ABS-CBN News)

A New York-based literary nonprofit recently awarded Jim Pascual Agustin, a Filipino poet living in South Africa, the 2022 Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize from Singapore Unbound, for his manuscript titled "Waking Up to the Pattern Left by a Snail Overnight." He bested four other shortlisted candidates for the award (See ABS-CBN News for story). 

PH Peso Plunges P58.21 to US$1

The surging dollar struck another blow to the peso, which closed at the 58-level for the first time ever as the world braces for another outsized rate hike from the US Federal Reserve. The peso’s finish on Wednesday was weaker than its previous close of P57.48 to $1, marking a new record-low.

Disney Has A New Fil-Am Cartoon Character

Disney Junior’s “Firebuds” (Source: Disney Junior)

Filipino American Krystal Banzon is bringing to life a new Disney cartoon character. Not only that, the character is Filipino American. Banzon is a staff writer on Disney Junior’s “Firebuds,” an animated comedy-adventure series featuring Fil-Am Bo Bayani and his best friend, firetruck Flash (See INQUIRER,net for story).

Two Filipino Scientists Get Prestigious Int'l Award for Work on Snail Venom

Baldomero Oliva and Lourdes Cruz (with cone snail, center) (Source: Esquiremag.ph)

Two Filipino biochemists Baldomero Oliva and Lourdes Cruz, along with their colleagues Michael McIntosh and the late Craig T. Clark, are recipients of this year’s Golden Goose Award for their groundbreaking studies on venom in cone snails that led to the discovery of a compound called peptides, which may be useful in blocking pain without causing paralysis (See Esquiremag.ph for story).