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Latest in ExplainersHeat waves have evolved from sporadic, isolated episodes to massive, cascading weather events that can blanket vast swaths of the planet for months or even years at a time. To continue calling such sprawling phenomena “heat waves” would be like calling a monsoon a rain shower. To understand the…
Regular daytime napping may do more than relieve afternoon fatigue. It could also help preserve brain health and slow cognitive aging, according to a study. These are the findings of an epidemiological study published in the journal Sleep Health. The research, led by scientists from University…
Living in a fast-paced world, people often react to forgetfulness with frustration and panic. However, a neuroscientific study published in the journal Neuron suggests that occasional forgetfulness is not necessarily a cognitive flaw. Instead, it may be part of how the brain optimizes memory and…
Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that focuses on when you eat rather than what or how much you eat, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, which unites physicians and scientists from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System. Johns…
“Time flies” is a phrase often used to describe how quickly time seems to pass. But is there any truth to the idea that time moves faster as people age? A 2019 study published in the European Review by Cambridge University Press suggests the phenomenon is not about time itself, but about how the…
Filipino lotto jackpot winners pick their numbers through birthdays, dreams, the sound of geckos at night, and handwritten notebooks full of personal number codes. And when they win, most say they will give to the church first, then think about the bank, then consider going into business…
Every school, hospital, and housing project Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso builds in Manila is a high-rise. The maverick mayor said this was not out of architectural preference but out of necessity, fiscal logic, and a deliberate effort to anticipate the city’s needs 15 years into the…
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when economies worldwide had ground to a halt and most governments were cutting spending, Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso made a counterintuitive decision. The maverick mayor borrowed money and built—simultaneously funding vertical housing…
The Marikina Valley is prone to both severe flooding and destructive earthquakes because it sits in a basin created when a block of earth dropped between the East and West Valley Fault systems, making it a natural collection point for water from Sierra Madre while simultaneously sitting in one of…
The western coastal cities of Metro Manila, including Manila, Navotas, Malabon, and Valenzuela experience flooding faster than other parts of the capital region because they sit on unconsolidated materials, loose sand, silt, and mud that water penetrates easily and moves through quickly. Mines and…
Vitamin D supplements may not be as beneficial as commonly believed, particularly among older adults, according to a landmark study published in BMJ Open. The study, led by researchers Rong Hua, Chun Siang Lam, Vincent Chung Tong Mok, and Yin Ting Cheung, challenges the widely held view that…
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has no real power: it can coordinate but not compel, suggest but not enforce, and plan but not fund, and that fundamental weakness is why Metro Manila’s most basic problems remain unsolved after decades, Caloocan City 2nd District Representative…
Flood, garbage, and fragmented power have pushed the capital region to the breaking point, says lawmaker Metro Manila is a megacity of 13 million people at night and 15 to 16 million during the day, and for decades, not one person has been fully in charge of it. That is the central argument…
The Marcos administration’s proposed 2027 national budget grows the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) allocation by 12.66% from the current year, with major provisions covering rice programs, irrigation, farm-to-market roads, and crop insurance for 2.3 million small farmers and fisherfolk, Budget…
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) used a simple bilao—a winnowing basket—to explain how the Marcos administration’s proposed ₱7.2 trillion 2027 national budget is allocated. Roughly half of the budget goes to salaries and pensions, more than 20% to infrastructure, and the remainder…
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