DAVAO CITY RISES TO 3RD IN THE PHILIPPINES!

Davao City climbs to 3rd nationally and 470th globally among the world’s 1,000 largest cities in the 2026 Oxford Economics Global Cities Index.

That’s a notable jump from 5th in the Philippines and 519th globally in 2025.

The Oxford Economics Global Cities Index evaluates the world’s 1,000 largest urban economies across five key pillars: Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance.

2025: 5th in the Philippines | 519th globally

2026: 3rd in the Philippines | 470th globally

Davao City continues to climb the global urban rankings.

Source: Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2026

#DavaoCity

May be an image of ‎text that says '‎DAVAO .所 וושאררית STRONGER ASTRONGERDAVAO DAVAO CITY HALL OF DAVAO DAVAO CITY'S UNSTOPPABLE PROGRESS ONE OF THE HIGHEST-RANKED HIGHEST- CITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES IN THE OXFORD ECONOMICS GLOBAL CITIES INDEX 2026 SideChill DAVAO CITY‎'‎

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CinePanalo 2026 lineup bets on unusual Filipino stories to bring audiences to cinemas

By Neil Ramos

Published Sep 18, 2026 12:50 pm 

A ghost comes back from the dead to confess his love.

A farmer and his carabao take a magical road trip to Manila.

A manicurista accidentally becomes a hitwoman.

A college student joins a pageant to figure out who she really is.

These are not exactly the movies audiences see every weekend at the mall.  

And that is what makes the latest CinePanalo lineup, ermm, intriguing.

The festival brings together 26 films spanning comedy, horror, romance, drama, coming-of-age stories and political satire. Some are tender, some are bizarre, and a few sound almost too strange to explain in one sentence.

But at a time when getting people to choose a Filipino film over everything else competing for their attention is a challenge, perhaps strange is not such a bad place to start.

Take “Multwoh (Patay Na Patay Sa’yo),” a supernatural queer comedy directed by Rodina Singh and starring Sassa Gurl and Joao Constancia.  

A college student dies suddenly, returns as a ghost and, instead of seeking revenge, comes back with one unfinished mission: finally saying “I love you.”

Then there’s “Beast,” directed by Lawrence Fajardo and starring John Arcilla, about a farmer and his loyal carabao embarking on a magical journey to Manila while chasing the ghost of a niece the years stole from him.

“Patay Gutom” puts Khalil Ramos, Ian Pangilinan, Agot Isidro and Cris Villanueva in a supernatural story involving a shut-in, a lonely ghost and an accidentally opened third eye.

Yes, a third eye.

“Stuck on You,” directed by Mikko Baldoza and starring Xyriel Manabat and River Joseph, follows a heartbroken manicurista who accidentally takes on a hitman’s job and finds herself caught in a deadly conspiracy.

Meanwhile, “Wantawsan,” directed by Joseph Abello and starring Joross Gamboa, Rita Daniela and Zion Cruz, follows a cash-strapped father whose encounter with a newly elected mayor sends him into an unexpected adventure.    

Mind, not everything is deliberately offbeat.

“Apol of My Ai,” directed by Thop Nazareno and starring Zanjoe Marudo, Zion Cruz and Rochelle Pangilinan, deals with first love, family and growing up.

“Mono No Aware,” directed by BC Amparado and starring Juan Karlos Labajo and Perry Dizon, follows a Filipino worker in Japan who meets an elderly widower asking him for one final favor.

The student shorts are equally adventurous, with stories about a queer archivist preserving memories of the Philippines’ first Pride March, a young lawyer searching for her estranged activist mother, a transgender student entering a campus pageant and a father fighting bureaucracy after his daughter’s death.

The bigger question is whether these unusual stories can translate into something every film festival ultimately needs: people actually showing up.

“Every film in this year’s CinePanalo carries the passion of its creators,” says Ivy-Hayagan Piedad, festival chair. “Giving these stories a platform where audiences can experience and celebrate them is our way of supporting Filipino artistry and contributing to the continued growth of Philippine cinema.”

CinePanalo is, in effect, making a case for Filipino movies by offering films that don't necessarily look like the usual multiplex fare. For audiences, that could mean discovering something they didn't know they wanted to see. For filmmakers, it means putting distinctly Filipino stories, including some wonderfully odd ones, on the big screen.

CinePanalo 2026 runs from Sept. 23 to Oct. 4 at Gateway Cineplex 18, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Feliz, Ayala Malls Circuit, Ayala Malls Manila Bay and Market! Market!

The festival is spearheaded by Puregold. 

'Habagat' could return this weekend, bring scattered rains to parts of S Luzon, VisMin

Rest of the country may experience localized thunderstorms

By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

Published Sep 18, 2026 12:47 pm |

At A Glance

• In its weekly weather outlook, PAGASA said scattered rains and thunderstorms may affect Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Palawan, and Occidental Mindoro until Tuesday, Sept. 22
• The habagat may weaken again starting Wednesday, Sept. 23
• The rest of the country may experience localized thunderstorms, mostly in the afternoon or evening

PAGASA

The southwest monsoon or “habagat” is expected to affect parts of the country anew starting this Saturday, Sept. 19, as the low-pressure area (LPA) west of Palawan may dissipate, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

PAGASA weather specialist Leanne Loreto on Friday, Sept. 18, said the LPA may dissipate within the next 24 hours once it reaches the West Philippine Sea.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, LPA 09f was located 140 kilometers south of Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan, Palawan.

As the LPA is expected to dissipate, the southwest monsoon will likely prevail over the western sections of Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao from Saturday to Tuesday, Sept. 22.

In its weekly weather outlook, PAGASA said scattered rains and thunderstorms may affect Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Palawan, and Occidental Mindoro until Tuesday.

The rest of the country may have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

PAGASA said the habagat may weaken again starting Wednesday, Sept. 23.

From Wednesday to Friday, Sept. 25, partly cloudy to cloudy skies are expected across the country, although isolated rain showers or thunderstorms may still occur, particularly in the afternoon and evening.

Meanwhile, Severe Tropical Storm Dujuan was located 2,365 kilometers east-northeast of extreme Northern Luzon as of 8 a.m. Friday.

Dujuan, which is moving westward at 25 kilometers per hour, is no longer expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility or affect any part of the country, Loreto said.

 

PSEi tumbles to 5,800 level as oil, inflation, rate worries weigh The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) ended the week sharply lower at the 5,800 level as investor sentiment continued to be dampened by concerns over oil prices and their impact on inflation and, consequently, interest rates. The main index fell by 102.73 points, or 1.72 percent, to close at 5,855.91 on Friday, Sept. 18. Read more Diesel prices could surge ₱10 per liter next week Based on the four-day Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS), diesel prices could jump by around ₱10 to ₱10.50 per liter, while gasoline prices could increase by ₱4.50 to ₱5 per liter. The Department of Energy (DOE) will release the final weekly price adjustments on Monday, Sept. 21. However, if the ₱10 spike persists, the average price of diesel could rise to over ₱100 per liter. Read more

3 students killed, 6 hurt in South Cotabato

 

3 students killed, 6 hurt in South Cotabato school shooting; House leaders dispute ‘isolated case’ claim

At least three students were killed and six others were reportedly wounded in a shooting incident inside Banga National High School in Banga, South Cotabato at around 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Chief Rolly Aquino said. Read more

Ranking House of Representatives members have expressed sadness and continued shock over the latest fatal school shooting in the country. Deputy Minority Leader ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio agreed that the school shootings could no longer be described as "isolated." Read more

Unusual Instruments – Keyboards

 by Maureen Buja  September 14th, 2026

The piano as we know it today, an 88-key behemoth in black, is the result of innovation upon innovation since the first invention of the ‘fortepiano’ by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1700.

The fortepiano (meaning ‘loud soft’) was the next development after the harpsichord. Like a harp, the harpsichord was played by plucking strings; in this case, by touching a key, it released a goose quill to pass the string, plucking it as it went by. Harpsichords could not be dynamically altered – they produced the same sound no matter how hard or soft you played. In fact, because of its plucking motion, you had to use quite a bit of force on the key. You could muffle it by keeping the lid closed, but that was about all you could do for dynamics.

Colzani: Harpsichord, 2021 (photo by Andrea Bastoni)

The sound was quite small and thin. Its great advantage over the instrument it replaced, the lute, was the ability to play multiple notes at once.  

Cristofori’s fortepiano advertised its great innovation in its name. By calling it ‘Loud-Soft’ (fortepiano), he told his customers what it could do.

Cristofori: Fortepiano, 1720 (Metropolitan Museum of Art) (photo by Shriram Rajagopalan)

The new hammer mechanism developed by Cristofori meant that a string could sound for longer. The fuller sound and the ability to play a note loudly or softly gave composers a greater range of sound possibilities.

Listen to the richer sound of this fortepiano, compared to the earlier harpsichord.  

It wasn’t until the 1760s that the fortepiano really found its market, with music specifically for the instrument being sold and concerts featuring it being advertised.

Every musical instrument maker tried to make their own innovations to the instrument, adding pedals for sustaining the sound, for cutting off the sound, for adding percussion effects, for changing the sound, and for changing the action to be as light as possible (a speciality of the Viennese makers).

The modern piano comes in a variety of forms: upright (with the strings at a 90° angle to the keys) and grand (more like the fortepiano in general design, but much more robust).

The new pianos were built around an iron frame that could stand much greater tension than the earlier fortepianos. Where the range of the fortepiano had been about 4 octaves (48 keys), the range of the piano was established at 88 keys (7 1/3 octaves).

Steinway & Sons grand piano (photo by Gryffindor)

Some speciality pianos include the toy piano, made for children but used by grown-up composers for a different keyboard sound. Instead of strings, the notes are played by hammers hitting tuned rods. 

A pedal piano is like an organ in that there is an additional keyboard to be played by the feet (Mozart owned one, as did the French composer Alkan). There are two ways for the strings to be sounded: one involves a mechanism that runs connectors up to the piano case and the other, the Doppio Borgato, brings in a second piano case.

An upright pedal piano, 2007

Doppio Borgato, 2011 (photo by Loretta Doro)  Other piano makers extended the keyboard. Bösendorfer added 9 extra bass keys, bringing the total from 88 to 97. To ensure players won’t get confused, all the keys are coloured black, and some versions even have a little cover, so you don’t hit them by accident. Busoni was the first to write for it, and Bartók, Debussy, and Ravel followed him. The Australian piano makers Stuart & Sons have created 108- and 112-key pianos.

Bösendorfer Concert Grand 290 Imperial extra keys

What is the reason for the large variety of Sauerkraut available for purchase in Germany, the country of origin?

Germany didn't actually invent sauerkraut. But step into a German supermarket, and you'll find entire aisles of cabbage fermented in dry Riesling, hard apple cider, and even sparkling wine.

The technique actually originated in China over 2,000 years ago. It was brought to Eastern Europe by the Tartars, eventually making its way into Germanic regions. Because cabbage grew exceptionally well in the cold, temperate climates of Northern Europe, and because fermentation prevented scurvy during brutal winters, Germans enthusiastically adopted it.

While the core technique is ancient, the massive supermarket variety exists today because Germany is a fiercely regional food culture. The products on the shelf are not just competing brands, but completely different recipes.

Standard sauerkraut is just cabbage and salt. But those wine-infused varieties from the supermarket aisle originate in the Rhineland, where cabbage is fermented with white wine to create Weinkraut, giving it a lighter, fruity acidity. Sektkraut uses local sparkling wine, while around Frankfurt, the cabbage is prepared with Apfelwein (hard apple cider).

The spices vary by state. A Bavarian brand will almost always include Kümmel (caraway seeds) and is designed to be cooked down with pork fat. In Swabia, sauerkraut is often infused with apples, making it sweeter and milder to balance out hearty local dishes. Jars are often pre-mixed with juniper berries, bay leaves, or cloves, each calibrated to a specific traditional meal.

The variety also extends to biology and texture. In the refrigerated section, you can buy Frisches Sauerkraut in a plastic bag. This is raw, unpasteurized, and full of live lactic-acid bacteria. It is sour, crunchy, and requires an hour of braising. On the dry shelves, jars and cans are pasteurized and pre-cooked. Brands like Hengstenberg’s Mildessa are heavily cooked down to be soft and mild, requiring only three minutes in a microwave. Some traditionalists prefer a thick, hearty shred that holds its crunch when braised with a pork shoulder, while other brands offer an ultra-fine, almost hair-like shred that practically melts.

To a German cook, sauerkraut is a foundational ingredient rather than a simple condiment. The vast supermarket selection exists because a rich Bavarian pork roast requires a completely different cabbage profile than a delicate Thuringian sausage.

A Bavarian dish of braised pork ribs served with potato dumplings and regional sauerkraut. Photo by Benreis is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.