Ivan Henares

The Philippines has been elected as one of four new Asia-Pacific members of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (IGH-ICH), securing 106 votes or 68% of the 156 valid votes cast by UNESCO member states.

The IGC-ICH is the committee responsible for providing guidance on best practices and making recommendations on safeguarding cultural expressions, indigenous knowledge and traditional practices. | via Joseph Morong/GMA News

Visit www.gmanetwork.com/news for more updates.

Visit of National Youth Commission Commissioner Wacky Racho to the UNESCO-Philippine National Commission to discuss UNESCO Youth programmes

Courtesy call to Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival. Cebu City is a UNESCO Creative City of Design. Looking forward to the creation of the Cebu City Creative Council.

The Philippines got its fifth UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation — the Matibay na Bayan ng Sablayan, home of the Apo Reef & Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Parks!

Apo Reef Natural Park and Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park are both ASEAN Heritage Parks, Important Bird Area (IBAs), and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). Additionally, Apo Reef is also a Blue Park (designated by the Marine Conservation Institute). Both parks are in the Tentative List for World Heritage inscription.

Congratulations Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro! We have our fifth UNESCO Biosphere Reserve!

The UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines (UNACOM) congratulates the Municipal Government of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro on the designation of Matibay na Bayan ng Sablayan, Home of the Apo Reef & Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Parks, as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Apo Reef Natural Park and Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park are both ASEAN Heritage Parks, Important Bird Area (IBAs), and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). Additionally, Apo Reef is also a Blue Park (designated by the Marine Conservation Institute). Both parks are in the Tentative List for World Heritage inscription.

The application to declare Sablayan as a biosphere reserve is being advanced at the 38th Session of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme in Paraguay.

A Philippine delegation, together with UNESCO representatives and Sablayan Mayor B**g B. Marquez, took part in deliberations joined by delegates from around 100 countries.

The proposal highlights Sablayan’s rich terrestrial and marine ecosystems, including forests, mountains, and coastal waters that host diverse endemic species.

Officials said the designation would support stronger conservation measures while advancing sustainable development and safeguarding the livelihoods of local communities.

Manila is finally getting attention with this National Geographic’ Best of the World 2026 inclusion. Hopefully we improve access to Manila and around Metro Manila!

«Manila, Philippines

Why go: A palate-pleasing tour of a surprisingly diverse food scene

With its trading history and focus on Indigenous ingredients, the Philippines has always offered an exciting food culture. The 2026 Michelin Guide gives travelers one more reason to visit now. Metro Manila, which includes the capital city, is where Spanish, Chinese, and Malay influences come together in particularly innovative and delicious ways. At bustling markets (Tutuban at night, Salcedo on Saturdays), Manileños tuck into fish balls and halo-halo. Restaurants and cafés dish up comfort foods from the provinces, like crispy pancit palabok (a savory noodle dish) at Manam and lumpia with meat, veggies, peanuts, and seaweed at New Po Heng Lumpia House.

Fine-dining spots nod to tradition, too. At Toyo Eatery, diners sit down to a modern tasting menu or a family-style seafood and pork kamayan feast served on banana leaves and eaten with the hands. In Makati’s hip Poblacion neighborhood, Kondwi serves a multicourse Pinoy tasting menu and creative cocktails. Try the Turon made with jackfruit and banana-infused rum.

Familiar standbys provide a glimpse of the country’s history. Alba serves travelers 11 varieties of paella, while Ho-Land and Eng Bee Tin bakeries (both with branches in Binondo, Manila’s Chinatown) turn out hopia (bean paste-filled pastry cakes), tikoy (sweet rice pastries), and moon cakes—a densely flavorful pastry filled with lotus seed paste or red bean paste. – Lisa Futterman»

Best of the World 2026 From a legendary Alpine range to a less-traveled but no less stunning alternative to the Mediterranean, here are the year’s must-visit destinations, handpicked by National Geographic’s editors, photographers, and adventurers.

With the delegation from Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro led by Mayor Walter Marquez at the 38th session of the MAB International Coordinating Council (MAB-ICC) at the Itaipu Biosphere Reserve, Paraguay. We are looking forward to our country’s fifth UNESCO Biosphere Reserve!

We can elevate the country’s tourism if we upgrade our airports, increase direct flights to destinations outside Manila (open skies policy), and expand our public transportation network (more trains not skyways). Stop talking about promotions because people can’t even get here or around here!

The Philippines is banking on its Asean chairmanship to elevate the country’s tourism through “warmth and authenticity”.

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