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Sam Beltran
SCMP Contributor
Sam Beltran is a journalist based in Manila who has written for publications in the Philippines and around Asia. Her stories explore food, lifestyle scenes, popular trends, and sub-cultures as windows into society and the human condition.
Sam Beltran is a journalist based in Manila who has written for publications in the Philippines and around Asia. Her stories explore food, lifestyle scenes, popular trends, and sub-cultures as windows into society and the human condition.
Languages Spoken:
English
To curb China’s dominance in the sector, Manila has to cut red tape and fight corruption to draw US and Japanese investors.
Vietnam’s VinFast is seizing the moment by offering incentives for drivers to make the switch from petrol-powered vehicles to electric.
The region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up.
Analysts warn that restricting access alone will do little to fix the algorithms that expose young users to harmful content.
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Philippine and Iranian officials met on Wednesday to discuss ‘key avenues for cooperation’, amid Tehran’s blockade of the strait.
Analysts warn credit card use could increase further to partly cope with higher prices and reduced disposable incomes.
The reactions to his breakout moment on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ highlight how regional audiences increasingly champion one another’s artists.
Farmer Elmer Ullani spent seven hours transporting his produce to a trading post, but says he has nothing left after paying for fuel.
Forget KFC. For Filipinos abroad, Jollibee serves up cultural pride with a side of nostalgia – and the best fried chicken in America.
Manila has been forging closer ties with several Nato members amid tensions between the transatlantic security alliance and the US.
Lawmakers have urged the president to postpone or scale down the event and redirect funds towards softening the blow of rising energy costs.
A Philippine senator wants Filipinos to hold Trump accountable for their surging fuel bills. But public anger has a different target.
Dedicated police units and a national watchdog. Two new bills aim to ensure animal abusers face justice, not just a US$17 fine.
Low wages, poor workplace culture and heavy traffic are among the factors hampering Filipinos from enjoying a good work-life balance.
With diesel in the triple digits amid the Iran war, Filipinos brace for a domino effect on rice, electricity and basic household necessities.
Without a proper road map to grow its mining sector, the country remains a ‘second-tier mineral economy’.
Only 30 per cent of Gen Z Filipinos now back the ICC drugs war case, as AI-generated disinformation floods TikTok.
The trade probes may compel Southeast Asia to continue diversifying away from the US, with analysts predicting recent deals could unravel.
The new ‘ASPECT’ initiative could help boost quicker collective regional responses during large-scale or evolving disasters, analysts say.
The company is the only Southeast Asian name to make the top tier of a recent list of the world’s strongest restaurant brands, placing fifth.
The bloc will look for new markets and deepen regional cooperation to reduce trade uncertainty, economic ministers say.
Many survivors return home to inhabit a murky space between victim and offender, with few support services to help them reintegrate.
As a potential council member, the Philippines is expected to address broader global security issues and be a ‘responsible middle power’.
Consumer groups say households are left to absorb rising costs as the government rolls out conservation measures and considers fuel tax relief.
A widening deficit and falling revenue are ‘direct, quantifiable effects’ of an investigation into the flood-control scandal, economists say.
Southeast Asia’s first law on AI could raise the bar from voluntary guidelines to binding legal frameworks across the region, analysts say.
The hashtag went viral following a row over a South Korean band’s concert in Kuala Lumpur in January and protests in Indonesia last year.
Analysts say lawmaker Angel Suntay’s comments have become an ‘effective distraction’ against the vice-president’s impeachment proceedings.
The US Justice Department has released emails showing the sex offender might have recruited a ‘Philippine team’ to boost his reputation.
