For National Women's Week, we celebrate women who do exemplary work in promoting our local culture. From a long list, this writer has selected six women from a pool of countless equally impressive individuals who have contributed - and continue to contribute - to our society’s rich cultural heritage. Here are some of them.

Celebrating these women and their contributions to Philippine culture

After a dazzling opening salvo of National Arts Month in Luneta on February first, and a series of parallel celebrations in Davao City, Butuan, and the various Art FriDates across Angono, Rizal; Bulacan; Biñan, Laguna; Quezon Province; and Muntinlupa—each organized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in cooperation with local arts stakeholders—the Visayas took its turn in Palo, Leyte. There, the event matched up the energy and creativity of the other events, showcasing the town’s rich cultural talent while hosting an insightful dialogue on the ways in which local arts might be further nurtured and championed across the archipelago.

Palo shows that local arts program benefits the youth as evidenced by these amazing performances from various homegrown artist groups

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), together with partner agencies including the Department of Tourism, Department of Agriculture, and the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement, will lead the nationwide celebration of Filipino Food Month in April 2026 under Presidential Proclamation No. 469.

Observed every April, Filipino Food Month — also known as Buwan ng Kalutong Filipino — highlights the richness of the country’s culinary traditions while promoting Filipino cuisine as an important expression of national identity.

This year’s theme, “Connected by Taste: Filipino Food in the Flavors of ASEAN,” underscores the Philippines’ shared culinary heritage with its Southeast Asian neighbors while celebrating the distinct flavors, traditions, and stories behind Filipino food.

For 2026, the Iloilo City will host the national launch and major activities of the month-long celebration. Recognized by UNESCO as the Philippines’ first Creative City of Gastronomy, Iloilo is widely regarded as one of the country’s leading culinary destinations and a fitting venue for discussions on food heritage and regional cuisine.

Events throughout April will include food festivals, cultural presentations, and academic discussions organized by national agencies, local governments, and culinary groups across the country.

Among the major events is KainCon, scheduled from April 16 to 18, and Hapag ng Pamana, which will take place in Zamboanga City and Marawi City later in the month.

Several regional festivals will also be held as part of the celebration, including the Balikutsa Festival in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, the Halo-Halo Festival in Sultan Kudarat, Philippines, the Taraon Festival in Infanta, Pangasinan, the Viva Binatbatan Festival of Arts in Vigan City, and the Kanen Festival in Urbiztondo, Pangasinan.

The Department of Tourism will also mount “Karabasalicious” on April 13, highlighting regional food traditions through culinary showcases and heritage talks.

Meanwhile, the NCCA will hold special cultural events at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls, including Food Fridates featuring local governments from Mabalacat City and Samar Island, as well as Esplanade ThursDates on April 30.

Ahead of the official launch, the Department of Agriculture will organize a Kadiwa Pop-Up Store on April 2, promoting local agricultural products and supporting Filipino farmers and food producers.

The month-long celebration will culminate on May 2 with a closing ceremony and turnover event.

Organizers say the initiatives aim to deepen public appreciation for Filipino culinary heritage, support local food producers, and position Filipino cuisine within the broader cultural landscape of Southeast Asia.

My first visit to George Town, some years before the pandemic, was little more than a quick fix; a shore excursion on a cruise that sailed along the Malaysian coast before returning to Singapore. I had barely three hours on land, just enough to sense the outlines of something intriguing: the smell of spices and coffee in the air, the pastel shophouses, the street art that tells a unique story. Ever since, the city has lingered in my mind like an unfinished conversation or an itch I’d been meaning to scratch.

Being playful with the murals on the streets of Georgetow

 As climate change accelerates coastal flooding, a vast land reclamation project backed by a corporate giant is reshaping the shoreline and may be hastening the ground’s descent.

A small cat padded cautiously across the wet concrete, a tilapia nearly half its size dangling from its mouth. Behind it, heaps of fish lay scattered across the wet floor of a low-roofed shed that serves as the Panasahan Fish Port in Malolos, Bulacan.

The sunken Santo Niño Church in Sitio Torres