Philippines

The annual festival began with the devotion to the image of the Baby Jesus found by the expedition of conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565. For Archbishop Jose Palma, it is a “true source of joy and hope”. In 2025, El Niño “is the hope,” said Ruben Labajo, bishop-elect of Prosperidad hope.”

The government imposed a P58-a-kilo maximum suggested retail price for higher quality outsourced rice, but for some stakeholders this is insufficient. In the fourth quarter of 2024, hunger reached levels not seen since 2020, involving about Philippine household one in four.

After passing away today in Quezon City, the 74-year-old nun dedicated more than two decades of her life to caring for prisoners, giving them a second chance to reflect God's grace. There are about 215,000 detainees in the Philippines, with a ratio of 200 people incarcerated for every 100,000 inhabitants.

For the first time, the feast day, among the most important religious events in the Philippines, was a national holiday. In his homily, the Archbishop of Manila emphasised the relationship between life and hope, with Jesus ‘reversing’ the perspective. For Catholics, the Nazarene is the ‘expression and witness of faith’.

In a pastoral letter published at the start of the Holy Year, Card David, president of the bishops' conference, cites a survey according to which more than 90 per cent of Filipinos have confidence in the future. “Despite the trials and tribulations that we face, we will always hold on to the belief, ‘God has mercy’ or ‘God will take care,” the prelate writes. The challenge is to live this as a "community of missionary disciples" even when confronted with new challenges.

Pardoned by Cambodia’s king, the women were caught up in a racket that put the spotlight back on human trafficking. Three children already born will be given up for adoption in the Philippines if the mothers are unable to care for them.

Demand is growing in Europe, especially in the health and long-term care sectors. Migrants’ contribution to the Philippine economy is critical, but they need legal protection and support, as well as repatriation plans in case of need. In 2023, remittances hit a record US$ 37.2 billion, or 8.5 per cent of GDP, the largest amounts coming from the United States, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.

The Filipino migrant sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking arrived in Manila after 14 years in prison. Today she was finally able to see her children. ‘Living behind bars has changed my life, transforming me into a person who has come closer to God’. There have been many requests from the Church and civil society for President Marcos to grant her a pardon, which the Jakarta government will not oppose.

For the third year in a row, the Philippines is the world's leading importer, with domestic production continuing to fall, due, among things, to La Niña. Food absorbs 40 per cent of expenditures among low-income, resulting in greater social inequalities. Consumption has increased from 14.8 million tonnes in 2020-2021 to 17.4 million this year.

Located on Negros Island, Kanlaon is one of the country’s 24 active volcanoes along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Its eruption has led to the evacuation of more than 84,000 people. A blanket of ash and gas fell within a radius of 3 kilometres. Government and dioceses are helping evacuees. For Bishop Alminaza of San Carlos, vice president of Caritas, “we need to support each other”. Lamentably, “We have not been good guardians of nature.”

The death penalty is again a topical issue in Southeast Asia after a Philippine woman sentenced to death for drug possession is set to go home where the death penalty is not in force. Capital punishment is widely enforced in Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam. A call is getting louder for “the protection of vulnerable communities”, with many voices warning that “no justice system is immune to error”.

A Cambodian court sentenced the women to four years in prison, with two years suspended. For the Cambodian government, they were involved in human trafficking, while for the Philippine embassy they are victims. It is unclear what fate awaits the children once they are born. In the past Cambodia forced dozens of surrogate mothers to raise the children, initially intended for other couples.