Stories & Photographs by Jofelle Tesorio

The reason China is bullying the Philippines is the glaring disparities in economic and military power. The bully was once called the 'Sick Man of Asia' because it had a huge population and so poor then. But it miraculously transformed into an economic giant by becoming the manufacturing hub of the world. Now the bullied is called the 'New Sick Man of Asia'. It was once the second vibrant economy in Asia, next to Japan. Why has the Philippines gone into abysmal economic performance? Here's some of the reasons written by Mathew Fisher ... Can the Philippines be like China in the future? Filipino kids scavenge over piles of garbage in Manila. Since the Philippines values democracy and recognises human rights, its way to economic recovery will not be as fast as China. The Philippines still has Asia's strongest labour unions and enforceable labour laws. Unless the Philippines fully opens up to investment, control its population growth and clean-up the corr...

China is making double-edged statements recently as the military stand-off with Philippines in the disputed Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal continues and amidst the US-Philippines military exercises . In a report , the Chinese government said it is willing to resolve the territorial dispute with the Philippines bilaterally yet its military vows to protect the country's interest. By protecting means sending a nuclear powered submarine to the area, although the government neither confirms nor denies it. On April 28, China sent a naval vessel , described as that country’s most advanced fishery patrol ship to Scarborough Shoal. File photo of China's Fisheries Law Enforcement Vessel, the Yuzheng 130. Photo from www.cnr.cn . China's defense minister Liang Guanglie said that any military action will be based on the needs of diplomacy, according to the China Daily. Meanwhile,  another report quoted P...

Thailand is known not only as the Land of Smiles but also the land of beautiful transgenders that are often mistaken as real women. Transgenders are often featured in spectacular cabaret shows in Pattaya and Bangkok and of course, there is Miss Tiffany and Miss International Queen, the most coveted local and international pageants for transvestites and transgenders. Thai transgender model/actress Treechayada 'Poy' Malayaporn (Photo by J. Tesorio) Many people ask why Thailand's transgenders are so pretty and so many. First, Thai men have softer features and slender bodies so it makes it easy for them to shift from a man to woman. Second, the country has embraced cosmetic surgery. It is relatively so easy and cheap to get a botox (as cheap as $50 a shot), a nose job or a boob job. Getting a sex change is within reach and not complicated, although the government has introduced basic laws to make sure that those who are getting it are of sound mind and properly informed...

The Philippines has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to take a stand on the ongoing stand-off between the Philippines and China in Scarborough Shoal (called Panatag Shoal in the Philippines), which lies 120 kilometres off Zambales province on the western coast of the Philippines' Luzon region. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, "a Philippine Coast Guard search and rescue vessel, the BRP Edsa, is facing off with two Chinese vessels at the shoal in a 12-day territorial impasse set off on April 10 by Chinese poaching in the area. The poachers, on eight Chinese fishing vessels, slipped out of the area with their illegal catch under the protection of the two Chinese surveillance vessels, angering Philippine officials. Both asserting their territorial claim to the shoal, the Philippines and China have refused to recall their vessels from the area." (More of the story at http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=29841&sec=1 ) ...

                         It is hard to visualize a deep river flowing beneath an expansive cave network. And mention a Philippine cave and it will instantly conjure a picture from TV's Survivor series, where competitors crawl on slippery stones amidst complete darkness and eerie sounds of bat calls. Fired up by these images, most visitors to the Philippines' Underground River are often confused about what to expect and what to do. It's a lot more complicated than imagining Vietnam's Halong Bay with its junks and coastal villages, or the giant lizards roaming free around Indonesia's Komodo Island. Thanks to an online poll by a Zurich-based foundation, the mysterious river is no longer underground. With its new standing as one of the 7 New Wonders for Nature, the Underground River is expected to become the jewel in the crown of Philippine tourism. The other "new wonders" are the Amazon, Halong Bay, the Iguazu Fa...

Veteran Thai journalist Kavi Chongkittavorn says with the latest visits from powerful foreign diplomats to Burma, the isolated country could become a key player in the ASEAN region.                                (Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi after a visit from the British foreign secretary recently. AFP Photo) For decades, Burma has shielded itself from foreign interferences but occasionally deals with the regional bloc ASEAN as a member.  With its upcoming chairmanship of ASEAN, Burma has been showing some signs of opening up. Could it be for real? For more opinion on the Burmese issue, read Chongkittavorn's column at The Nation (Thailand) newspaper .

Gifted with amazing natural resources and untapped tourism destinations, the Philippines should have been getting a lion's share of tourists. But it's beaten black and blue by it's neighbouring countries in Asia like Thailand,  Malaysia and even the unnatural Singapore. These countries get between 10-14 million tourists a year while the Philippines get at most 3 million tourists a year. The new tourism secretary, who used to be a CEO of an advertising agency, used his experiences as an 'ad man' to revive the industry by first creating a catchy slogan that would bring peoples' attention to the country of 7,100 islands. To match Amazing Thailand, Truly Asia and Incredible India, the tourism department came up with 'It's more fun in the Philippines!'                                               (Photo by Roland Benzon via http://interaksyon.com/gallery-fun-with-m...