It’s Tuesday, July 15.

Hope your week’s off to a strong start! We’ve got a loaded one—Filipino troops are finally stepping into the action at the region’s biggest military drills, the local manufacturing scene is heating up, and real estate’s shifting gears fast. Plus: legit side hustles that work in 2025, ASEAN stuck between two giants, and AI that walks like a dog (no joke). Let’s make this scroll worth your time.

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For the first time ever, the Philippines is no longer just observing from the sidelines—it’s officially joining the field. In a major step toward regional defense cooperation, the AFP is participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the largest joint military exercise between the US and Australia.

Held across four major Australian cities from July 13 to 27, this year’s drills involve over 35,000 troops from 19 nations, including Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the UK. The Philippines sent 32 personnel, a mix of observers and active participants—small in number, but symbolically big for our regional defense posture.

The timing couldn’t be more strategic: Australian PM Anthony Albanese is currently in Beijing, balancing diplomacy with deterrence.

Big picture: The Philippines’ participation is about more than military drills—it’s about showing up on the global stage, deepening alliances, and preparing for the evolving threats in the Indo-Pacific.

PSEi: 6,425.24
BSP Rates: 5.25% (borrowing) | 4.75% (deposit) | 5.75% (lending)
🌐 Global Markets
Bitcoin: $120,000 - $122,000
Gold: $3,332.75 - $3,350

💱 Exchange Rates (PHP per 1 unit)

🇺🇸 USD: ₱56.67 (around these values, with slight variations)
🇬🇧 GBP: ₱76.43
🇸🇦 SAR: ₱15.07
🇯🇵 JPY: ₱0.3835
🇪🇺 EUR: ₱65.82
Note: Exchange rates may vary slightly depending on provider.

The Philippines’ manufacturing sector hit a 10-month high in May, growing 4.9% year-on-year, per new PSA data. The boom was led by food production (up 15.7%) and transport equipment (up 13.5%), showing strong momentum in both essential goods and big-ticket items. S&P Global’s June PMI reading of 50.7 suggests the growth trend continued into June. Meanwhile, the Board of Investments greenlit ₱15B worth of manufacturing projects in H1 2025, expected to create over 5,000 new jobs.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque says the uptick in factory output is more than a stat—it’s a jobs engine. “When factories produce more, they hire more,” she noted. That’s one economic policy we can all get behind.

Philippine real estate might just be entering its Vin Diesel era. Analysts are predicting a high-octane rally in the coming years, fueled by a cocktail of lower interest rates (now at 5.25%), cooled inflation (2.2%), and steady GDP growth (5.4%). Office space demand is bouncing back thanks to the ever-resilient IT-BPM sector and government leases. Meanwhile, residential prices are up 7.6% year-on-year, with condos leading the charge. Developers are now eyeing OFW buyers and provincial growth corridors.

Industrial is the rising star, projected to grow 5.4% annually, thanks to e-commerce and infrastructure. After years of vacancy blues and POGO exits, the market’s shift from slump to sprint could finally be underway.

PH Resorts, the casino arm of Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp., told the PSE it can erase its ₱503.7M negative equity—thanks to a planned conversion of ₱4.21B in shareholder advances into equity. The firm is seeking approval to raise its capital stock to ₱15B to make that possible. But there’s radio silence on the shelved Emerald Bay project, which was foreclosed by Chinabank. Uy once had a lease-to-buyback deal—but Chinabank says that window has closed and is now entertaining new buyers.

A rumored EEI partnership remains uncertain. For now, PH Resorts is pitching optimism on paper, while one of its crown jewels sits in legal and financial limbo.

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) just bagged a 25% profit bump in H1 2025, thanks to its controlling stake in the Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corp. (PDSHC). Net income hit ₱495.7M, up from ₱398M last year. The PSE now owns 92% of PDSHC, turning it from an associate into a full-blown subsidiary—and unlocking serious gains. Operating revenue jumped 82%, led by a ₱233.9M surge in trading fees and ₱36.7M in listing fees. Depository fees from the PDTC added another ₱282.4M.

Not all sunshine though: expenses ballooned 70%, and other income dropped 58% due to forex losses and loan interest. Still, with listings up and the board re-elected, PSE is eyeing deeper market reforms—and maybe a 97% stake in PDSHC soon.

The Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR) edged up to $105.32B in June, a modest 0.14% gain from May and the first monthly increase since February. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas credited the uptick to foreign currency deposits by the National Government and earnings from investments. The GIR now covers 7.2 months’ worth of imports and is 3.3 times the country’s short-term external debt—a healthy buffer against economic shocks.

Gold reserves also climbed thanks to surging global prices, while foreign exchange holdings jumped nearly 74%. Despite global volatility and Trump-era protectionism, economists say stable fundamentals and credit ratings continue to attract foreign funds.

What’s the best extra income source in 2025? Depends on your bandwidth, budgetand signal strength. Side hustles are no longer just a trend—they’re a survival strategy. In 2025, with inflation still creeping, job stability in question, and AI transforming traditional work, Filipinos are doubling down on income diversity. But not all side hustles are worth the time. Here’s what’s actually working.

The winning formula usually includes:

Top Side Hustles That Deliver

Bottom line:
In the Philippines, the best side hustle is the one that works for you. Start where you are, use what you know, and grow from there. With enough hustle and heart, your sideline can turn into your mainline.

At the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, diplomacy took center stage as Southeast Asia found itself navigating a high-stakes geopolitical triangle. China made waves by pledging to sign the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty—signaling rare support from a nuclear power for regional peace norms. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan confirmed the move, calling it a “commitment without reservation.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived under the shadow of Trump’s looming tariff blitz. Starting August 1, the U.S. is set to impose aggressive duties, including:

Rubio’s mission: reassure nervous allies. But ASEAN leaders, according to a leaked draft communique, remain concerned about “unilateral actions relating to tariffs” and global trade instability.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also joined the summit, promoting a “multipolar world order” alongside China—a strategic pitch to position ASEAN away from U.S.-centric influence.

Why it matters:
With trade tensions escalating and global alignments shifting, ASEAN is no longer a passive player—it’s a strategic power broker. How the bloc balances competing interests could define the next phase of Asia-Pacific diplomacy.

Thailand is reining in its cannabis free-for-all. By year’s end, only licensed medical clinics with on-site doctors will be allowed to sell marijuana—meaning 90% of the country’s 18,000 cannabis shops could be shut down. The new rules classify cannabis as a “controlled herb,” requiring prescriptions, certified supply chains, and rigorous testing. Shops must now operate more like clinics than cafes, and a nationwide crackdown has already shuttered hundreds of outlets.

Officials cite rising public health complaints and underage use. Once seen as a $1.2B green gold rush, Thailand’s cannabis industry is now getting rolled back—hard.

The EU has once again delayed retaliatory tariffs on $22B worth of U.S. goods, after President Trump warned of 30% tariffs on EU imports starting August 1. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the pause gives both sides time to pursue a “negotiated solution.” But Europe isn’t backing down entirely—trade ministers will meet Monday to prep countermeasures. Germany and France urged a firm stance, warning jobs and industries are on the line.

Meet “Clarence,” a new dog-sized robot that just learned to move like a real animal—without even seeing the ground. In a world-first, UK researchers from Leeds and UCL created an AI system that teaches legged robots to instinctively change gaits based on terrain.Clarence can trot, run, and bound using deep reinforcement learning—no cameras, no external sensors. Just pure animal-inspired brainpower.

In just 9 hours of training, it mastered real-world agility. Translation: future robots could one day roam disaster zones—or Mars—without needing a joystick or a flat floor.

Mark Zuckerberg isn’t just building data centers—he’s building gigawatt AI superclusters the size of Manhattan. On Monday, the Meta CEO said the company will spend “hundreds of billions” to power AI superintelligence, starting with its Prometheus and Hyperion data hubs, the latter scalable to 5 gigawatts.

Meta’s core ad biz is still printing cash, but Zuck’s all-in on Superintelligence Labs—led by AI heavyweights Alexandr Wang and Nat Friedman. The long-term bet? Dominate AI before OpenAI and Google get there. For now, investors are cautiously optimistic. Meta stock is up 20% YTD.

While OpenAI delays its open-source model again, Chinese startup Moonshot just dropped Kimi K2 — a free, open-source LLM designed for serious coding. Backed by Alibaba, the model reportedly beats OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 and Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 on key coding benchmarks, all while charging pennies per million tokens.

Kimi K2 costs:

With strong performance and dirt-cheap pricing, Kimi might just be China’s most globally competitive AI release yet.

The Philippine National Police confirmed that some bones recovered from Taal Lake are human remains. PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said the mix includes animal bones too, due to the area’s farmland surroundings. Forensic teams are now identifying which are human. Five sacks of suspected human bones have been found near Laurel town—close to where whistleblower Julie "Dondon" Patidongan claimed the missing cockfighting fans were dumped. DNA cross-matching is underway.

34 sabungeros have been missing since 2021. Patidongan accused businessman Atong Ang and actress Gretchen Barretto—both deny any involvement.

President Marcos and San Miguel’s Ramon Ang just kicked off construction of a major upgrade to Caticlan Airport — the gateway to Boracay. The new ₱7-billion terminal aims to handle up to 7 million passengers a year and directly connect international tourists to Aklan without routing through NAIA. The two-story terminal will include jet bridges, 24/7 operations, and space for 3,000 passengers at once. Megawide is leading the build, set to finish by 2027.

Marcos says it’s more than tourism: it’s about decentralizing growth and giving regions a bigger role in the economy.

Solaire, Okada Manila, and Newport World Resorts are pushing back on public backlash, saying their online gaming arms are “regulated, ethical, and transparent.” The trio released a joint statement as lawmakers and church leaders ramp up calls to ban or restrict e-gambling, citing addiction and financial ruin.

The operators say they follow strict Pagcor rules—using age-gating, geo-fencing, and KYC protocols—and claim to promote “responsible gaming.” Each company has sunk over $1B into world-class resorts that draw millions of tourists and employ 130,000+ Filipinos.

📱 Lista - A local finance app for Filipinos that offers a simple interface for tracking money in and out, setting savings challenges, and even credit score tracking. Likely Platform(s): Mobile App (iOS/Android) Search for it in your app store.

💡 Canva - While not exclusively Filipino, Canva is a popular online design tool widely used by Filipinos for creating engaging visuals for personal projects, small businesses, or educational purposes. Click here

📚 Tahanan Books - A publishing house that offers a wide variety of Filipino books (in English, Tagalog, and bilingual books) for all ages. They have a focus on Filipino culture, history, and stories. Click here

🗣️ Hilokal - A speaking-first language learning platform that offers thousands of lessons, including Filipino. It emphasizes community learning through live audio chatrooms with other learners and native speakers. Click here

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: Why how you think about money matters more than what you know. Available in all bookstores.