Looking for fresh new inspiration for your next OOTD? How about where to travel on your next vacation leave? Any trendy food to try in your free time? What current released gadgets and technologies can pique your interest? Worry no more because the metropolista has got you covered!
the metropolista delivers the latest news trends in the city! It has been our goal that this website provides fashion, travel, food, technology, news, and feature articles in the metro. So stay tuned for the following posts that keep you updated on the happenings around the metropolis!
Leaders and partners behind BÚTLAK: The 40th Negros Trade Fair come together during the media launch. From left: Royce Cabuñag, AVP and Head of SM Communities; Chef JJ Yulo; Mary Anne Colmenares, NTF Chairperson; Chef Tony Boy Escalante, owner of Antonio’s; Francis Esteban, owner of Breakfast at Antonio’s; Christina Gaston, ANP President; Antonio Sebastian Escalante of Antonio’s; Pats Lim Dy, SAVP for SM Communities; and Joaquin San Agustin, EVP for Marketing of SM Supermalls.
Step into SM Aura this September, and you’ll find yourself transported—not just to a mall, but to Negros Island itself. For 40 years, the Negros Trade Fair has been more than a marketplace; it’s been a living showcase of Filipino creativity, resilience, and pride. This year’s milestone edition, aptly called BÚTLAK (to bloom), brings together 178 brands under one roof at the SMX Convention Center Aura from September 22 to 27, 2026.
Unveiled during the media launch, the official BÚTLAK video sweeps across Negros—its landscapes, landmarks, fashion, and artistry—bringing the island’s creative spirit to life.
A Journey Without a Plane Ticket
The launch preview captured the essence of Negros through a stirring video that whisked guests across its landscapes, kitchens, and workshops. It was the kind of reel that makes you want to book a flight—but the fair itself brings Negros to Manila, offering six days of food, fashion, art, and handcrafted treasures.
ANP President Christina Gaston reminded everyone why this fair matters: “MSME development is about giving people the opportunity to discover what they can create, what they can become, and where their creativity can take them.” Over four decades, small ventures have grown into enterprises, and local products have reached markets once thought impossible.
Flavors That Tell Stories
Guests at the launch were treated to a culinary journey led by Negrense icons JJ Yulo, Joel Torre, and Chef JP Anglo. From heirloom recipes to bold new interpretations, the tasting was a delicious preview of what’s to come.
Joel Torre, actor-restaurateur and proud Negrense, summed it up simply: “I’m very proud of Negros products.” Chef JP Anglo added, “Life is always changing; it’s a constant evolution. That’s why the Negros Trade Fair is thriving—it’s about the chase for perfection and love for craftsmanship.”
From savory empanadas and sisig to ube halaya and distinctive local ice cream flavors, the BÚTLAK media launch served a flavorful celebration of Negros—featuring Wawa Bing’s, JT’s Manukan, Cocina Javellana, and Marcelo’s Microcreamery.
Expect beloved names like Bob’s Café, 21 Restaurant, Chicken House, El Ideal, and Virgie’s Homemade Products, alongside fresh food concepts and pasalubong finds that go far beyond inasal.
Fashion, Crafts, and Culture
Beyond the table, the fair is a treasure trove of wearable art and homegrown design. Labels like Arête and Ellege Handcrafted Fashion showcase accessories and clothing rooted in tradition yet styled for today. Meanwhile, Hacienda Crafts, Tumandok Crafts Industries, and Artisana Island Crafts transform abaca, bamboo, capiz, and other indigenous materials into décor and furniture that sustain artisan livelihoods.
The fair will feature 178 brands across food, fashion, furniture, homeware, art, and local crafts—bringing come for the names they already love and leaving with a new favorite—or several.
For Stephanie and Cristina Claparols of Lakat Sustainables, the fair feels like family: “There are a lot of new brands to discover, especially from the new generation. That’s the most exciting part.”
Roots and Blooms
The anniversary theme, explained by ANP Vice President Mary Anne Colmenares, captures the fair’s spirit: “Our roots are found in traditions, skills, and stories handed down to us. Our blooms are the new ideas, new enterprises, and new generations emerging from those roots.”
SM Supermalls EVP for Marketing Joaquin San Agustin echoed the sentiment: “We’re celebrating 40 remarkable years—but we’re equally excited about the next 40.”
Final Take
The 40th Negros Trade Fair isn’t just about shopping. It’s about heritage, talent, and heart. It’s about supporting local makers while discovering flavors, fashions, and crafts that carry the soul of Negros. Bring your family, bring your friends, and take home a piece of the island.
The SM Group received 12 Stevie Awards at the 2026 International Business Awards, recognizing both parent-company reporting and programs delivered through its malls and communities.
The SM Group’s parent company, SM Investments Corporation, received four awards. It received Gold Stevie Awards in the Conglomerates (Large) and Best Annual Report (Publicly Held Corporations) categories for its 2025 Integrated Report.
Its 2025 Sustainability Report was awarded Bronze for Best Sustainability Report. The SM Sustainability School was also awarded Bronze in the Asia, Australia, and New Zealand Sustainability Initiative of the Year category.
“Clear reporting provides investors and other stakeholders with a better understanding of how we make decisions, manage the business, and plan for the long term,” stated Frederic C. DyBuncio, President and CEO of SM Investments. “The other awards demonstrate how our businesses carry that same sense of responsibility into the communities they serve.”
That work can be seen in the eight awards received by SM Supermalls.
“People experience a mall based on what they do there, not what we say about it,” SM Supermalls President Steven T. Tan explained. “A place to read, an event that promotes local art, or a program that makes the mall more user-friendly can all make a tangible difference in a community.”
The Philippine International Pyromusical Competition won Gold for Brand Experience of the Year (Consumer), while the Find Your SM campaign took Silver in the same category.
The SM Green Movement received Silver for Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility. The SM Cares Coastal Cleanup initiative received Silver for Environmental Achievement, and SM Cares: A Mall for All received Silver for Diversity and Inclusion.
The SM Cares Book Nook won Bronze for Most Innovative Creative Project. The program creates spaces in malls for people to read and share books. The Empowering Communities campaign was also named the Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
SM Mindanao Art received Bronze in the Corporate and Community (Community Engagement Event) category, bringing Mindanaoan artists and their work to a wider audience.
Over 300 business professionals participated in two months of judging. Winners were determined based on their average scores.
The International Business Awards, now in their 23rd year, honor organizations, executives, entrepreneurs, and teams worldwide.
A warm bowl of lugaw, a steaming cup of coffee, crispy merienda, and the perfect excuse to stay indoors—it’s weather that invites us to slow down and indulge. But while we’re embracing these comforts, our gut may face a different reality. Heavy rains, flooding, and increased humidity can raise the risk of food and water contamination, creating conditions that make digestive illnesses more common.
Studies link heavy rainfall and flooding with increased cases of diarrheal diseases and foodborne infections, making gut health an often-overlooked part of staying well during the season. The Philippine National Nutrition Council reminds Filipinos that rainy months are associated with a higher risk of waterborne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid fever, underscoring the importance of food safety and proper hygiene.
The rainy season also influences our eating habits. Comfort foods, fried snacks, irregular meals, and street food indulgences can put added stress on the digestive system, especially when food safety risks are heightened. Since a large portion of the body’s immune system resides in the gut, maintaining a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria is essential for supporting overall immunity.
When this balance is disrupted by poor diet or exposure to contaminated food and water, the risk of digestive issues increases, making gut health an important priority throughout the rainy season.
Listen to your gut. It often gives warning signs. Frequent stomach discomfort, loose stools, bloating, changes in bowel movements, and mild abdominal cramps may indicate an underlying digestive issue or an imbalance in the gut that should not be ignored.
Our bodies often give early warning signs when something’s wrong, especially during the rainy season. Persistent stomach discomfort, bloating, loose stools, or changes in bowel habits may indicate a need for gut attention. Addressing these symptoms early through proper hydration, good food hygiene, and care can prevent more serious digestive issues.
Give your gut an extra layer of support during the rainy season with probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that restore and maintain the natural balance of good bacteria in the gut, supporting healthy digestion and the body’s defenses. They can help enhance natural resistance to intestinal infections, improve intestinal ecology, aid digestion, and improve lactose malabsorption with proper diet and exercise.
Probiotics like Erceflora Probiotics contain billions of INTELLI-SPORES® and are for all ages above 6 months old. They enhance natural resistance to intestinal infections, improve intestinal ecology, aid digestion, and improve lactose malabsorption. They’re a helpful addition to everyday gut care, especially during the rainy season.
Enjoy the rainy season by listening to your body, practicing good hygiene, making mindful food choices, and giving your gut the support it needs. This will help protect your digestive health and make the most of everything the tag-ulan has to offer.
Rainy weather shouldn’t stop Filipinos from enjoying the season. Instead, it should remind us to care for our health. Small, proactive habits, like choosing safe food and water and supporting gut health with probiotics like Erceflora, can help keep our digestive system resilient. A healthy gut is the foundation for enjoying life’s moments, rain or shine.
ERCEFLORA GUT DEFENSE AT ERCEFLORA GUT RESTORE AY HINDI GAMOT AT HINDI DAPAT GAMITING PANGGAMOT SA ANUMANG URI NG SAKIT.
2GO Travel has launched TraveLink, a multi-modal travel service that seamlessly integrates sea and land journeys into a single itinerary. This innovative service aims to enhance the convenience and ease of traveling across the Philippines. TraveLink combines 2GO Travel’s sea fares with connecting bus and van transportation, allowing passengers to book their entire journey as one unified itinerary.
Whether passengers are traveling from the city to an island destination or connecting across different provinces, TraveLink simplifies the planning process from start to finish. Instead of booking separate bus, van, and ferry tickets, passengers can now arrange their entire journey in one booking, saving time and eliminating the hassle of coordinating multiple transport providers. TraveLink offers a range of routes, including Manila-El Nido, Manila-Caticlan (Boracay), Baguio-Cebu, Baguio-Bacolod, and Baguio-Siargao.
Francis John Chua, Head of 2GO Travel, emphasized the significance of TraveLink, stating, “Travel doesn’t begin at the port—it begins the moment you leave home. For years, travelers had to make separate bookings for each leg of their journey. With TraveLink, we’re bringing these connections together, making it easier for our passengers to travel across the Philippines with greater convenience and confidence.”
TraveLink is powered by 2GO’s partnership with 12Go Asia, a leading travel technology company in Asia specializing in multimodal transportation. By integrating 12Go Asia’s booking technology with 2GO Travel’s extensive domestic shipping network, passengers can now enjoy smoother connections between buses, vans, and sea travel through a single itinerary.
This new service is particularly designed for travelers heading to destinations beyond 2GO Travel’s ports, eliminating the stress of planning each transfer separately.
The introduction of TraveLink is part of 2GO Travel’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the Philippine travel experience. By creating a more connected, accessible, and hassle-free travel network across the archipelago, 2GO Travel aims to make journeys across the Philippines more enjoyable for its passengers.
For booking, visit www.12go.asia or www.travel.2go.com.ph.
An essential challenge facing modern working adults is managing financial responsibilities across generations. Raising growing children, caring for aging parents, and securing one’s own retirement are colliding demands for millions of families.
This multi-generational balancing act defines the Sandwich Generation—working adults stretched financially and emotionally between the immediate needs of their children and the care of their elderly parents.
The Reality of Balancing Two Generations
Being a primary breadwinner carries significant pressure. However, when two distinct generations rely on a single income, the risk compounds dramatically:
Compounded Vulnerability: A single medical crisis, sudden disability, or job loss doesn’t just disrupt individual plans—it threatens the day-to-day survival and future goals of three generations.
The Dual Obligation: Breadwinners must simultaneously fund immediate living expenses, education costs, healthcare for aging parents, and their own long-term retirement savings.
What the Data Shows: Family-Centered Financial Decisions
Recent findings from a Synergy-YouGov study highlight how deeply family dynamics shape financial decisions today. Securing life insurance is no longer viewed merely as a personal investment, but as a fundamental family obligation.
Key Motivation for Insurance
Percentage / Priority
Financial Impact
Health Protection
Top Leading Concern
Shields multi-generational savings from sudden medical debt.
Children’s Education
35% of respondents
Ensures long-term educational continuity for the next generation.
Parental / Relative Support
34% of respondents
Guarantees ongoing care and dignified support for aging relatives.
Retirement Planning
High Priority
Prevents breadwinners from becoming financial burdens to their own children later in life.
Building Your Safety Net: “Plan B”
Beyond daily budgeting, members of the sandwich generation require a structural safety net to ensure long-term stability.
“Many Filipinos today carry the responsibility of supporting both the next and previous generation. Life insurance helps ensure that no matter what happens, their families can continue pursuing their goals and meeting their needs. Ang pamilya mo ang nangangailangan ng Plan B.“
— Renato Vergel De Dios, President and CEO of BDO Life
Key Takeaways for Financial Readiness
Establish Health Coverage First: Medical emergencies are the quickest route to financial depletion for sandwich breadwinners.
Protect Educational Goals: Locking in education coverage early guarantees your children’s future regardless of income disruptions.
Plan for Independent Retirement: Securing your retirement fund ensures you break the cycle of generational financial dependency.
To explore tailored protection strategies for your family, reach out to a certified financial advisor to build your customized safety net.
Talk to a BDO Life Financial Advisor at the branch nearest you, or visit the BDO Life Get a Quote page on the BDO website to explore life insurance solutions that align with your financial goals and budget.
Is the “Durian Capital of the Philippines” now also called the “Matcha Capital of the Philippines”? Welcome to Davao City, Philippines. Aside from being the home of the monkey-eating Philippine eagle, you can also find Mt. Apo on its land and harvest its pride fruit, durian. (Philippine Tourism USA, n.d.)
Going in and out of Davao, there are undeniably lots of tourist places you can visit that are also undeniably amazing to go to. One of the people’s favorites is the Malagos Garden Resort; any chocolate lover would love to go there. Other places to visit are Philippines Eagle Center, Eden Nature Park, and, with a short boat ride, Samal Island.
But beyond the buzz and viral posts, what makes this place truly deserving of its newfound spotlight? Perhaps the answer lies not in a single landmark or attraction, but in the moments that linger long after the journey ends. From timeless destinations to emerging favorites, these are the places that reveal Davao at its finest.
Azuela Cove
Being the city that is widely considered one of the cleanest cities in the Philippines, with its disciplined culture and strict local ordinances (Department of Tourism, n.d.), imagine that, but with a blend of residential, commercial, and recreational vibes within one place. Thai, Mexican, and other cuisines, different cafes, and retail stores are all merged and can be found within Azuela High Street. The place also offers a rent-a-bike and rent-a-scooter for a breezy ride within the Azuela perimeters. It also provides a court for everyone’s favorite sport nowadays, pickleball. Pickleball is not the only athletic activity that this place offers; runners and joggers are also welcome to go around the area. And of course, the place also offers its famous Azuela Seaside Promenade, an open-air walkway along the Davao Gulf. Where post-runs and post-cafe dates turn into sunset watching. Azuela Cove offers the perfect Sunday morning vibes that can be enjoyed whether it’s exercising or pure relaxation.
Davao Global Township
Davao excels at creating green spaces where good food, great company, and scenic views come together. DGT is an open space where visitors can go for a run or a leisurely jog or spend a restful day by lying down a picnic mat and enjoying quality time with friends and family. It is also home to a personal favorite, SMASHD., where a local take on the famous In-N-Out Flying Dutchman can be found. Matcha cafés, AnniPie Bakery, food carts, and high-end restaurants all share this vibrant space, framed by the silhouette of residential mountains and some of the city’s most breathtaking sunsets.
The Philippines’ Newest Matcha Capital
Crowned by the internet, Davao is known as the Matcha Capital of the Philippines, offering countless Matcha cafes within the city. But does it really deserve the spotlight? Whether it be big or small cafes, the city seems to refuse to use instant and not-so-freshly made matcha for every order. Though matcha drinks are not the most affordable beverages out there, every cup should be worth the price. That is why it is always better to know where to go before taking that first sip. Here are some of the cafés that deserve a spot on every matcha lover’s list.
&Matcha – The store not only sells matcha but also offers the best scenery to drink their drinks as well. From the exterior to the taste of their matcha, it’s an automatic 10/10. They offer a safe variety to choose from that fits within everyone’s taste buds.
Mille Matcha – A minimalist and modern interior paired with their authentic tasty matcha drinks. Mille Matcha can also be found within the grounds of DGT, which makes it the perfect place to go for dessert.
Kisom Matcha – Grab your current read, as this place not only offers good matcha but also a cozy yet productive setting. Without question, Kisom is said to offer good matcha, and guess what? They also let you pour the matcha and the sweetener yourself.
Manu Cafe – A Japandi-style cafe that is surely within reach. The cafe doesn’t only offer matcha as a dessert but also serves coffee. The vibe and atmosphere of the place is definitely perfect for WFC, work-from-cafe.
The Matcha Tokyo – The safest place to satisfy your matcha cravings, offering a quality and tasty treat. The Matcha Tokyo can be found either at SM Davao or Azuela High Street, along with its other branches within the country.
These are not the only places to enjoy matcha within Davao City, but they are undoubtedly among the most recommended. In the end, perhaps the best way to discover Davao is not only through the places it is known for, but also through the quiet moments shared over a cup of matcha, one cup at a time.
Davao City has been known for its traditional attractions, towering mountains, undeniable biodiversity, and the unique aroma of durian. But beyond these cultures, the city continues to reinvent itself without losing its identity. From serene green areas and energetic neighborhoods to cafés subtly perfecting each cup of matcha, Davao demonstrates that its top attractions are not just those seen in travel brochures but also the moments that entice tourists to stay a bit longer. It is up to each traveler to determine whether or not it really merits the moniker “Matcha Capital of the Philippines.” But one thing is certain: Davao is now a city to experience, one location, one sunset, and maybe even one cup of matcha at a time, rather than merely a place to travel.
