Since the beginning of 2026, overseas Filipino workers in the US have been dealing with a 1% remittance tax on the funds they send to the Philippines.

Introduced by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, 2025, the US 1% remittance tax affects physical transfers from the United States to other countries like the Philippines.

According to the Asian Journal, this is “the first time the U.S. government will directly tax personal remittances.”

But what does that mean for OFWs in America sending money to the Philippines?

Physical transfers are affected by the new US 1% remittance tax.

What does that mean? If you withdraw cash, write a check, or buy a money order to send funds to the Philippines, you will incur an additional 1% charge.

For example, if you send $1,000 home, you will pay $10 in remittance tax.

If you send money home through online banking or by using US debit or credit cards, or if you choose wire transfers or electronic transfers via the Automated Clearing House Network, then your remittances are exempt from the new 1% remittance tax.

Simply put, yes. An OFW who sends money to the Philippines to help their family or to pay bills and/or government contributions in the Philippines may be affected by this new remittance tax if they use more traditional ways to remit.

For example, if you write a check to send money to a loved one back home, your bank will inform you that you will be charged a 1% remittance tax. This would be deducted from the amount you indicated on the check.

The bank would then report the amount they collected from you and from other clients like you to the US Department of Treasury.

Not exactly.

According to the Asian Journal, “Finance experts have advised remittance senders to review their preferred transfer methods and explore digital options—such as bank-to-bank transfers or regulated apps—to avoid the new tax and benefit from lower fees and added security.”

In short, if you send money to the Philippines online or by using US-regulated electronic transfer methods, then you can still send more home.

To visualize the impact of the US 1% remittance tax, let’s look at this table:

Now that you’re more familiar with the basics, here is a concise action plan to remit to the Philippines while saving on the US 1% remittance tax:

If you’re looking for a sign to open an online bank account, this is it.

Using your US-based bank account to make a wire transfer to the Philippines or pay bills via ACH transfer will be exempt from the new remittance tax because these are counted as regular bank transactions.

On the other hand, using money transfer instruments like a check or a money order will be taxed.

If you’re using a remittance app or e-wallet, your transaction won’t be taxed if your source of funds is a US-based bank account or card.

You could also check if your nearest cash remittance centre accepts fund transfers using your US debit card.

Funding an e-wallet in the Philippines with your US-based digital banking app or with a US credit or debit card is exempt from the US 1% remittance tax. 

Check with your employer if they accommodate remittances through their payroll system, because these are counted as bank-to-bank transfers.

Using a money transfer app to transfer funds from the US to the Philippines is exempt from the US 1% remittance tax if your account on that app is funded by a US-based bank account or card.

Kabayan Remit is a secure online money transfer app that lets OFWs send money from the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom to their loved ones in the Philippines.

Transactions are fully online, so OFWs in America are exempt from US 1% remittance tax when they transfer funds from their bank or card to their loved ones’ bank accounts, e-wallets, or trusted cash remittance centres in the Philippines.

To enjoy Kabayan Remit’s competitive exchange rates and low service fees, simply download the app here and follow these easy steps:

1. Create a Kabayan Remit account – Enjoy Kabayan Remit’s features by opening a secure remittance account for free.
2. Input your recipient in the Philippines – Type in your loved one’s details on the app, including their full name, mobile number, and how they plan to receive your funds (e.g., bank transfer, e-wallet transaction, cash pick-up).
3. Indicate how much you want to send – Your remittance amount is up to you. To see how much your transfer costs in Philippine pesos, try our free calculator tool here.
4. Choose a tax-exempt transfer method – Make an electronic transfer using your US-based bank account or card since this is excluded from the US 1% remittance tax.
5. Double check your info – Make sure the details you’ve typed in, including your remittance amount and recipient details, are correct.
6. Confirm – Tap “Send” to send your money to the Philippines.
7. Stay informed – You’ll know when your funds have been received or are ready for pick-up by enabling push notifications from the Kabayan Remit app.

Start your Kabayan Remit journey today and send love to the Philippines at cost-efficient and pocket-friendly rates.

The holidays are just around the corner. And though you may be miles away, you can still celebrate a Filipino Christmas wherever you are. Just follow any of these five easy dessert recipes, and you’ll be having a taste of your mama’s Noche Buena all the way in the United Kingdom or Canada.

We know you’re busy, but it doesn’t mean you should skip the holiday potluck. Come to the party prepared with this no-bake icebox cupcake inspired by the deliciously sweet and creamy mango graham float found on almost every Filipino Christmas table.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Chilling: Overnight (or at least 4 to 6 hours) 

Servings: 6 to 8 cups

• 2 large mangoes (e.g., Ataulfo, Kent, or honey mangoes)

• 480 ml heavy cream or double cream (chilled)

• 120 ml sweetened condensed milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

• 1 pack crushed graham crackers (You can use digestive biscuits too!)
• 1 pinch of salt 

1. Peel your washed mangoes then cut them into strips or chunks.
2. In a bowl, combine the cream, condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
3. Whisk the creamy mixture until you eventually see strands (or peaks) that can stand on their own when you pull the whisk away from the bowl. 
4. Prepare six to eight clear cups for your mango graham float cups.
5. In each cup, create the cupcakes’ bases using your crushed graham crackers or digestives.
6. Spoon a layer of your creamy mixture into each cup, then cover this with another layer of crushed crackers or digestives.
7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 until all your cups are filled with a final layer of creamy mixture. 
8. Garnish your cups with mango slices or a sprinkle of graham crackers.
9. Cover each cup with cling film and refrigerate overnight. If you are pressed for time, make sure your dessert cups are chilled for at least 4 to 6 hours.
10. Serve cold.

The Filipino purple yam continues to make waves beyond our shores, so why not share its magic with even more people at your next office Christmas party? This oven-free icebox cake recipe will surely intrigue your coworkers with its balance of sweet and salty flavours.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Chilling: Overnight (or at least 4 to 6 hours) 

Servings: 8 to 10 slices

• 3 packs ladyfingers or digestives
• 500 ml all-purpose cream or heavy cream (chilled)
• 300-400 ml sweetened condensed milk (chilled)
• 2-3 tablespoons ube extract
• 1 cup (approx. 250 ml) ube halaya or ube jam
• 100 g mild or medium cheddar cheese (diced or grated)

1. In a bowl, create your ube cream mixture by whipping together the chilled cream, condensed milk, ube extract, and ube halaya until smooth and airy.
2. In an 8×8 square pan, create your cake’s base using the ladyfingers or digestives.
3. Push your first layer of ube cream into the pan using a baking spatula.
4. Top the cream with cheddar cheese.
5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until you fill the pan with a final ube cream layer and a topping of cheese.
6. Refrigerate your no-bake ube-cheese cake overnight or for at least 4 to 6 hours.
7. After chilling, slice your cake into slender bars or chunky squares and enjoy!

Made of young coconut and green pandan jelly, the buko pandan parfait would add a pop of colour to your upcoming winter socials. Serve these layered Filipino Christmas treats in cups so your guests can dine and dance at the same time.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Chilling: 1 to 2 hours

• 25-30g pandan-flavoured jelly
• 500 ml coconut water
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 250 ml all-purpose cream or double cream
• 300 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 200 to 400 g shredded young coconut (i.e., shredded buko) 
• 200 g nata de coco

1. Mix the cream and condensed milk together in a bowl.
2. Cut your ready-made pandan jelly into cubes.
3. Layer eight to 10 clear cups in this order until full: pandan jelly cubes, shredded coconut, nata de coco, then cream mixture.
4. Chill the cups in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
5. Serve with a final topping of shredded coconut.

This coconut-corn pudding takes only 20 minutes to make but still has those Filipino Christmas flavours that will remind you of home.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Chilling: 1 hour

• 400 ml coconut milk
• 120 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 120 ml evaporated milk
• 30 g cornstarch
• 40 g canned sweet corn kernels
• 20 g grated cheese or desiccated coconut
• Pinch of salt

1. Stir the coconut milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer. 
2. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch with a quarter cup of cold water until there are no more chunks.
3. Slowly fold in the dissolved cornstarch into the milk mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens into pudding.
4. Add the corn kernels and a pinch of salt into the saucepan.
5. Distribute the pudding into the eight to 10 ramekins.
6. Let the cups cool for at least an hour.
7. Once your maja blanca cups have set, top your treats with grated cheese or toasted desiccated coconut and serve.

It isn’t a Filipino Christmas without leche flan! So, use this easy microwavable recipe to whip up a batch for your upcoming holiday get-together.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Stovetop cooking: 20 minutes

Microwave Cooking: 8 to 10 minutes

Chilling: 1 to 2 hours

• 4 large eggs
• 300 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 350 ml evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

1. Make caramel by mixing sugar and water in a saucepan over medium to low heat. Keep stirring your mixture until it gets a golden colour.
2. Coat the bottoms of six to eight ramekins with your caramel.
3. While your caramel cools, make your custard mixture by whisking the eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla together until you achieve a silky texture.
4. Pour your custard mixture into the ramekins.
5. Top each ramekin with a microwave-safe cover, then pop them into the microwave for eight to 10 minutes. 
6. Poke a toothpick into your leche flan cups to check if they are cooked. The toothpick should be clean after you pull it out of each cup.
7. Cool your leche flan cups at room temperature for at least an hour.
8. To serve, gently trace the interior of the ramekins with a knife. Then, flip the ramekins onto a serving plate and slowly pull them up to let the caramel mixture flow over the flans’ golden-brown tops.

You may be far from home today, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate in spirit. Send your Noche Buena contribution to family in the Philippines this Christmas with Kabayan Remit.

Kabayan Remit is a money transfer app with bank-level security features that lets overseas Filipino workers in the United Kingdom and Canada safely send money to reputable banks, e-wallets, and cash collection centres in the Philippines.

Download Kabayan Remit today, or learn more about the app’s features and perks by clicking here.

With more celebrations gearing up with the summer sun, we at Kabayan Remit have prepared the top 12 festival safety tips you need to know before your well-deserved day (and night) out.

Prepare note-taking apps and take these down.

Just like the vibe, event security varies among different festivals. For example, according to Stage Hoppers, the TRNSMT Fest in Glasgow, Scotland tallied 60 crimes in five years, making it one of the safest festivals in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the Creamfields Festival in Cheshire, England experienced more than 1,000 crimes in five years.

Knowing what kind of festival you’re headed to will help you secure your personal safety, so do your research before you go.

According to Festival Safe—an online event security guide supported by the Royal Society for Public Health, Vision, Voice and Practice—good festivals should have these facilities:

• Toilets – This is a must!
• Safe drinking water and washing water – You’ll need these to stay energized and clean.
• Information points – Sometimes we need to ask for directions or need more information about festival events.
• Shops and food options – Get your merch and meals here.
• A medical team – If you or someone you know is feeling ill, find the nearest first aid area.
• A welfare team – Festivals can be stressful or scary! Welfare teams are there to help you without judgement.
• Security and stewards – Help and safety are musts in large events like festivals.

Before the big day, festivals already share a map of their layout on their official websites.

Get a copy of their map and remember where the nearest toilets, medical and welfare stations, security hubs, and exits are. You can also save this guide on your phone or print it out.

This information will come in handy in case of an emergency.

You can also use a festival map to plan meeting points in case you and your group get separated.

You’ll likely have your phone with you when attending a festival; but according to Get Licensed, you’ll also a go-bag with need these 10 important items to ensure your personal safety:

• Portable charger or power bank – Keep your phone charged even when you’re far from the nearest power outlet.
• Water – There may be an array of drinks at a festival, but you’ll still need water to power you through the day. Be eco-friendly and use a flask or insulated bottle to carry your water around.
• Sunscreen – Avoid sunburn while you’re having fun outdoors, and protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses too.
• Earplugs – Take care of your ears and use earplugs when spending a long day around loud music.
• Hand sanitiser – Avoid catching a bug by keeping your hands clean even while you’re out and about.
• Waterproof bags – The day could start sunny but take a turn for the worse. Keep your valuables safe from rain and mud by putting them in a waterproof or water-resistant bag.
• Snacks – While festivals may offer food, sometimes you just need to nosh on a granola bar to tide you over before the next act or to revive a knackered friend who happens to be a picky eater. (Note: Check the festival’s rules before bringing outside food to their event grounds.)
• ID and cash – Some booths are cash only, so come prepared. And it’s always handy to have your ID with you, in case of emergencies.
• Small first aid kit – Knicks and sniffles are unavoidable. Always bring some plasters, analgesics, and antihistamines with you in case you or someone in your group feels poorly. And if you’re on any medication, bring those too!
• Emergency contacts list – Sometimes analogue still comes in handy! In case you run out of battery or lose your phone, bring a printed list of emergency numbers you can call if you ever need help or a ride home.

A festival day could start hot and sunny but end cold and rainy.

So, it’s good to wear light clothing, but our next festival safety tip is to bring your wellies and a raincoat just in case. Walking around soaked and shivering would definitely put a damper on your fun.

When the sun comes out, put on your hats and slap on some sunscreen to avoid getting sunburnt.

You may want to bring a tote bag to the festival; but for your personal safety, use a water-resistant bag that goes across your chest. Position it in front of you so you can always see it.

Not only will this prevent your belongings from falling over or getting soaked in the rain, but it will also deter pickpockets from stealing your valuables while you’re moving around crowded festival grounds.

Enjoying an outdoor festival requires a lot of energy. Before you know it, you may begin to feel tired and cranky before the day even ends.

To avoid festival fatigue, bring enough food and water to sustain you throughout the event.

If the festival you’re attending does not allow outside food and drinks, set an alarm on your phone to remind you to rehydrate and eat between partying.

Festivals make for awesome memories and adventures, but it will also entail some risks.

Next on our festival safety tips is: Attend these events with a trusted friend or friend group. This way, you can have each other’s backs in case someone feels ill or anxious or in case of an emergency.

Write each other’s numbers down and identify meeting points in case you ever get separated.

According to the National Health Service, “Measles is a viral infection that spreads very easily.”

And Festival Safe reported that festivals have recently recorded an increase in measles cases at music festivals.

Measles spread through aerosols, which are breathed out by someone who is infected by the measles virus. A person can breathe in these aerosols or touch surfaces where these aerosols have landed and transfer the virus from their hands to their face.

Before any spots appear on your body, you will feel as if you are coming down with a cold. By this time, you can quickly spread the measles to other people around you

To avoid catching the measles while attending a festival, follow these safety tips:

• Visit your doctor and ensure you are vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) before you attend a festival.
• Wash or sanitise your hands regularly.
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid sharing clothes, sleeping bags, drinks, food, and the like.

Temperatures can rise when you’re partying in a crowded field or arena, and this may cause you to fall ill or feel fatigued. This could be heat exhaustion.

“It can affect anyone, including fit and healthy people – especially if they are doing strenuous exercise in high temperatures or have been drinking alcohol in the sun all day,” wrote Michelle Roberts for the BBC. “It can come on quickly, over minutes, or gradually, over hours.”

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

• Lots of sweating
• Cramps
• Dizziness and/or headaches
• Feeling ill
• Nausea or vomiting
• Paleness
• Heat rashes
• Extreme thirst
• Rapid breathing
• Body temperatures above 38ºC

If you or your friends experience these symptoms during a festival, it is important for your personal safety that you cool down as soon as possible. The NHS suggests doing the following:

• Go somewhere cool or shaded.
• Remove the clothes you don’t need, like jackets and socks.
• Spray yourself with water or place a cold compress or damp towel on your neck or underarms.
• Drink cool water or a chilled sports drink.

If someone’s condition doesn’t improve after 30 minutes, they may be experiencing heat stroke. Other signs of heat stroke include:

• Not sweating even if they feel hot
• Body temperatures above 40ºC
• Rapid breathing
• Confusion
• Seizures or loss of consciousness

If someone in your group is experiencing heat stroke, immediately contact the festival’s security and medical personnel.

You may also contact these emergency numbers:

• 111 – for heat exhaustion symptoms and first aid advice
• 999 – for heat stroke

Among the most common festival safety tips is to always stay aware of your surroundings by drinking in moderation.

Have some water between drinks to avoid dehydration, and never accept anything from strangers.

By ensuring your personal safety at festivals, you and your companions can continue having fun.

Always get a sense of the crowd’s vibe and movements.

According to Festival Safe, “If you start to feel a crowd surge from one side, don’t push back. Move away from the pressure.”

They likened a crowd surge to waves that flow and pause. During pauses, walk to the edges of the crowd for more room.

It will also help to look for the nearest exits around you so you can head to any of these points when you want to get away from the crowd.

Remember: Your personal safety is your top priority at festivals.

Take breaks between events to eat, rehydrate, or even nap. This will help you and your friends avoid heat exhaustion while ensuring you have enough energy to last throughout the entire festival.

You will also need just as much rest when you get home. Allot enough time to recover from your excursion before returning to work.

The last thing you want is to be too exhausted to function when you clock in!

And, as a last festival safety tip: Make it a rule that everyone in your group needs to update the group chat once they’ve made it home safely.

We’re still making the rounds across several Barrio Fiestas in the UK!

Visit our booth at your nearest Barrio Fiesta to learn more about our secure money remittance app that lets overseas Filipino workers send money from the UK, Canada, and the United States to trusted banks, e-wallets, and cash collection centres in the Philippines!

You can also explore Kabayan Remit’s features and competitive exchange rates here.

Ruffa Gutierrez is Kabayan Remit’s first official global ambassador. The actress, model, entrepreneur, and beauty queen sealed the deal with the money remittance app on 10 April at a contract signing and press conference event in Super Sam, Quezon City, Philippines.

As global ambassador, Ruffa will appear in Kabayan Remit’s official website, promotional materials, social media content, and international events.

“I’m so grateful and so proud to be a part of the Kabayan Remit family, whose commitment is to really help hardworking Filipinos overseas to send love to the Philippines in the most convenient way,” she said.

Ruffa is the eldest and only daughter of veteran actors Eddie Gutierrez and Annabelle Rama. Following in her parents’ footsteps, she has been acting and modelling since the 1980s. In 1993, she gained national attention for winning the Binibining Pilipinas – World crown. She has been a household name ever since.

However, Ruffa’s celebrity status is not the only reason she became Kabayan Remit’s global ambassador.

“Ms. Ruffa is a mom—a sister—who knows the importance of loving and supporting her family,” said Princess Manalo, Head of Operations at Kabayan Remit. Manalo also said these are values Ruffa shares with the overseas Filipino workers Kabayan Remit serves.

Karina Salve Untalan, Kabayan Remit Commercial Marketing Manager, added to Manalo’s statement, saying Ruffa “embodies all of the hardworking Filipinos abroad.”

Apart from acting and modelling, Ruffa is currently pursuing a master’s degree in communication at the Philippine Women’s University. In 2013, she was also accepted into the International Political Economy summer program at King’s College London.

Above all these, Ruffa is a mother to two young women, Lorin and Venice, who are pursuing undergraduate degrees in the US.

“I know also what it feels like to be far from our loved ones in the Philippines,” said Ruffa.

Ruffa spent a part of her childhood in the United States, helping her parents sell kitchenware for additional allowance. She recalled how her parents had missed acting and eventually decided to return to the Philippines.

As an adult, Ruffa worked as a television host in the US and later spent four years in Istanbul, Turkey as a housewife and a mother to her two young daughters. She would eventually come home to raise her daughters and resume her show business career in the Philippines.

Recalling her time abroad, Ruffa commended OFWs for their strength and resilience to continue working far from home and family. She said she is glad there are now easier and cost-efficient ways for OFWs to send love to the Philippines.

“Hopefully, we will also expand—not only to just be in Canada, the [United Kingdom], and the US—but sana in the Middle East as well, kasi maraming mga Pilipino din doon (but hopefully in the Middle East as well, because there are a lot of Filipinos there too).”

Ruffa does not work with just any product or company. She makes time to test products and check a company’s reputation before signing with them. 

“I also want to make sure that I’m endorsing a product or a brand I truly trust and admire and believe in,” she said. According to the multihyphenate actress, these qualities make it easier for her to endorse the product or brand.

Ruffa said she experienced the benefits of Kabayan Remit herself after she attended the Taste of Manila festival in Canada last year.

She said she was impressed by how quickly she received a remittance from the Kabayan Remit team, and hoped more OFWs can try the app to send love home to the Philippines within the day and at competitive exchange rates.

“’Yung bayad sa akin dito one day lang, nasa account ko na! Hindi siya ganoong katagal, and the money is coming from abroad. So nakita ko talaga, before I endorsed them, kung gaano kabilis talaga magpadala ng love from the UK, the US, and Canada sa akin dito [in the Philippines],” she said.

 (“I received my payment from Kabayan Remit in one day. It didn’t take that long, and the money is coming from abroad. So I really saw, before I endorsed them, how quickly they could send love from the UK, the US, and Canada to me here [in the Philippines].”)

Endorsed by Ruffa Gutierrez, the newly updated Kabayan Remit is a secure money transfer app that lets OFWs in the UK, Canada, and the US send money to the Philippines.

Operating since 2012, the app uses bank-level security features and data encryption to ensure OFWs’ hard-earned funds reach their loved ones’ bank accounts, e-wallets, or trusted cash remittance centres in the Philippines.

Among the reputable bank accounts Kabayan Remit accepts are:

• Banco de Oro
• Bank of the Philippine Islands
• Metrobank
• Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation

Kabayan Remit also lets OFWs send remittances to e-wallets like:

• GCash
• Maya
• ShopeePay

Additionally, OFWs can use the app to send money to these well-known Filipino cash remittance centres:

• Cebuana Lhuillier
• LBC Express
• Palawan Pawnshop

And Kabayan Remit is not just for sending money to loved ones. OFWs can also use the app to maximise their remittances by paying their government contributions (i.e., Social Security System, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG), paying for their loved ones’ education in the Philippines, or investing in real estate.

Setting it apart from other money transfer apps, Kabayan Remit has competitive exchange rates, low service fees, and a 24/7 bilingual customer support team that allows OFWs to get the help they need in the language their comfortable in. OFWs can also evaluate Kabayan Remit’s rates using the brand’s exchange rate calculator here.

To sign up for Kabayan Remit, simply download the app and follow these three easy steps:

1. Open a free Kabayan Remit mobile app account.
2. Enter your loved one’s bank, e-wallet, or cash collection details.
3. Start remitting funds.

Lucky OFWs may even qualify for prizes from Kabayan Remit’s rewards program and seasonal raffles.

Last year, Kabayan Remit gifted free round-trip tickets to the Philippines to a lucky Pinoy.

Overseas Filipino workers are a mainstay in Philippine society, which is why OFW teleseryes have made the airwaves in the last 20 years. From kilig-filled romcoms to heavy dramas, here are 10 television shows about Pinoys who ventured out of their comfort zones and found love, challenges, and themselves.

While Crazy for You only ran for only 10 weeks, it is known as the first OFW teleserye. The series stars Toni Gonzaga as Janice, an OFW domestic worker in Barcelona, and Luis “Lucky” Manzano as Wacky, a Filipino studying in Spain with his ex-OFW father’s support. 

Looking to earn extra, Janice signs up to clean Wacky’s apartment while he enjoys life in Spain. To blow off steam, she assumes a rich girl persona and goes clubbing with her best friend Bessie. At one of these clubs, she crosses paths with Wacky, and the two gradually fall in love. While Wacky doesn’t know Janice is the very woman who has been cleaning his apartment, Janice struggles to come clean and tell her rich-boy boyfriend who she really is.

Set in South Korea, Only You is an OFW teleserye adaptation of a popular Korean drama with the same title. In the Filipino version, Angel Locsin plays Jillian, a Filipino culinary student learning to become a chef in South Korea. Accompanying her is her Pinoy best friend and suitor Johnathan (Ocampo). While pursuing the flavours of her host country, she runs into a moody young man named TJ (Milby). The three form a love triangle that spans years and countries. 

Another adaptation of a popular K-drama, Green Rose stars Jericho Rosales as Jerome, a regular guy who is head over heels for Angela (Curtis), the heiress of the billion-peso company he works for. Angela gives her heart to Jerome, despite her father’s protests and the wooing of her father’s protégé Edward (Cuenca).

Jilted, Edward frames Jerome for the death of Angela’s father, forcing Jerome to escape to South Korea—where he reinvents himself as a ruthless businessman.

Years later, Jerome assumes a new identity and returns to the Philippines as a balikbayan bent on revenge.

In this teleserye, Kim Chiu plays tomboyish Jade Dimaguiba, daughter of Zheny (Ai-Ai delas Alas), a former OFW, and Chen (Richard Yap), a man from Guangzhou. Zheny met Chen while she was working as a teacher in China; and despite her in-law’s disapproval, she married him. Their marriage bore a baby girl.

Disappointed to learn that his child is a girl, Chen chose to surrender Jade to the government so that he could be allowed to try for a son under China’s old one-child policy. However, Zheny refused. She returned to the Philippines with Jade while pregnant with a second child, a son. Sadly, Zheny’s baby boy Yuan dies in Manila.

Chen moves to Manila, unaware that his son has died and emotionally unavailable to his young daughter. Years pass and Jade grows into a Filipino Chinese girl from Binondo. Wanting to win her father’s love, she assumes Yuan’s identity and introduces herself to Chen as his long lost son.

This is Richard Yap’s first major acting role before becoming Sir Chief in Be Careful with My Heart. This is also the series that launched the popular KimXi love team of the 2010s.

As children of OFWs, couple Sarah (Magdayao) and Paul (Cuenca) know the hardships their parents faced from being apart. They try their hardest to avoid walking the same path, but life is hard. As hard as he fought to stay in the Philippines, Paul is forced to take on the same job that ruined his parents’ marriage and caused Sarah to grow up fatherless. 

Lonely and homesick, Paul seeks comfort in the arms of an old flame (Garcia), unaware that his legal wife Sarah has travelled to the Middle East to be with him.

With scenes shot in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo deals with love, family, infidelity, and the challenges that come with having to raise a family while in separate parts of the world.

According to Manny Palo, one of the OFW teleserye’s directors, their team interviewed OFWs in Dubai and Doha to learn about “their lifestyle, working conditions and struggles on the personal level to make the basis of the story somehow true to life.” He said their goal was to make something OFWs could wholeheartedly relate to from the start and end of the OFW process.

After an injury prevents her sister from working as a seafarer, Maya (Sta. Maria) takes it upon herself to support her family by leaving her hometown and finding OFW work from an agency in Manila. Her hopes are shattered when she finds out the recruiter she had entrusted with her savings was actually a scammer.

Stranded but determined, she takes on odd jobs at the airport until she is hired as a nanny for the three lonely children of rich widower and airplane magnate Richard “Sir Chief” Lim (Yap). As the children grow to love her, Maya slowly peels away Sir Chief’s cold exterior and falls in love with the kind-hearted man he has always been.

Despite its afternoon time slot, BCWMH (as it was known to fans) was a crowd favourite. For two years, Maya and Sir Chief delighted fans with their love story, propelling Sta. Maria and Yap to household name status. The show concluded after 622 episodes, with the series ending on a high note with the highest ratings against its competitors. It also became a hit in Malaysia.

Known as OTWOL among fans, On the Wings of Love was Nadine Lustre and James Reid’s first teleserye following their hit movie Diary ng Panget (2014).

The teleserye tells the story of Leah, an aspiring OFW who enters the United States as a tourist to find work so she can help her family in the Philippines. To continue staying in America, she enters a marriage of convenience with Clark, a moody Fil-am whose goal is to provide a better life for his siblings in the motherland. The two slowly get to know each other and fall in love, all while dealing with the ups and downs of being Filipinos in America.

The groundbreaking, and occasionally controversial, show bagged several awards during its run, including Best TV Drama Program and Primetime Series of the Year. It was so successful that its final episode included a live concert at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal, where Reid and Lustre hard launched their relationship.

After airing in the Philippines, OTWOL also delighted viewers in Indonesia and Thailand.

While working as an OFW in the Middle East, Eldon (Alves) commits a crime and is sentenced to death. To spare his life, the family of the man he killed requires ₱50 million.

In the Philippines, Eldon’s wife Mariel is scrambling to raise the money to save her husband’s life when a wealthy ex-boyfriend approaches her with a lucrative offer—in exchange for one last night together.

This OFW teleserye was nominated for Best Daytime Series at the 34th PMPC Star Awards for Television in 2021; and in 2024, Latin Media Corporation bought rights to air a dubbed version of the drama in Latin America.

This short-lived OFW teleserye stars Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil in their final series as a love team.

Set in Croatia, OFW Billie (Soberano) goes on dates to save on food and get gifts and freebies for her housemates, while Filipino tourist Gabo travels to the country to find himself. One day, Billie finds an aimless Gabo lying on the street and takes him under her wing. Eventually, they develop feelings for each other and fight to make it work.

The show was gaining a fan following in the first quarter of 2020 but was cut short at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The series’ home network, ABS-CBN was also forced to pause operations in May 2020 after a cease-and-desist order from the National Telecommunications Commission. ABS-CBN lost its franchise to air in the same year and pivoted to becoming a content creation company, while Soberano and Gil have gone on to pursue individual projects locally and internationally.

After working hard abroad and even spending time apart to save up for their dreams, former OFWs Anton (Nacino) and Millie (Kurdi) believe their fortunes in the Philippines are on the way up. They could never be more wrong.

Promised a luxurious lifestyle, the couple are lured into an investment scam by a fellow Filipino from their time in the Middle East. They recruit others into the scam, only to realize that things are wrong when their money disappears—along with the cash of the other people they had innocently encouraged into investing.

As they lose friends, family, and everything they worked for, Anton swears to make things right. He disappears in the middle of the night, leaving a pool of blood on the kitchen floor and a desperate wife searching for answers.

In an interview with the Philippine Star, Director Mark Reyes said he was inspired to tell Anton and Millie’s story because of recent news about Filipinos here and abroad who have lost their money to scams.

“Everyone should beware or be careful,” he said. “That is true since getting scammed takes a toll not only on the victims but also on their loved ones.”

You and your loved ones may be far apart, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stream a good show together online. Replenish those streaming service subscriptions by sending love to the Philippines with Kabayan Remit.

Kabayan Remit uses bank-level security to ensure your hard-earned funds safely reach reputable banks, remittance centres, and e-wallets in the Philippines. And with its competitive exchange rates and rewards program, you can rest assured knowing your family receives the best amount possible in Philippine pesos, without hurting your wallet.

Download Kabayan Remit today by clicking here.

The new year is a chance for new beginnings and New Year’s resolutions. It’s also a chance for overseas Filipino workers to get their finances in order and identify the goals they want to reach in 2025.

Surely, you already have your resolutions listed down—but do you know how to keep them until the end of the year?

Whether you’re an OFW based outside the Philippines, or you’re doing your best in the motherland, we at Kabayan Remit have listed down eight ways to help you stick with your financial New Year’s resolutions for 2025.

Keep scrolling to learn more, and don’t forget to share these tips with your loved ones.

Start 2025 by reflecting on the previous year’s finances and jotting down the money goals you want to achieve in the next 12 months. This will help you identify your financial New Year’s resolutions for the year.

Keep the goals realistic, meaning you’ll be able to achieve them based on how much you make, your spending habits, and your wants and needs.

You should also be clear about your goals. For example: While the goal “financial independence” is admirable, it would be easier to attain this if you know the specific steps you must take to achieve it in 2025. These steps could include paying your existing debts (like your family’s car loan) and incurring less debt this year.

It’s great to have clear financial goals for 2025, but it’s even better if you know why you’re making financial New Year’s resolutions this year.

Are you saving to buy a house or to send a loved one to college? Maybe you’re preparing to go on that dream vacation your family has been planning for years.

Understanding why you’re being wise about money will help you stay disciplined.

Set a specific monthly amount that you are comfortable spending and use it to guide your expenses.

Then, use a spreadsheet or budgeting app to monitor your spending and ensure you stay within your monthly cap.

You can also set a savings goal. As a rule of thumb, follow the 50-30-20 rule, meaning you should allot half of what you make to pay for needs. Thirty percent may go to your wants, and 20% should go to savings.

If you have any extra money left over from your needs-and-wants budget at the end of the month, consider transferring it to a high-yield savings account or use it to help pay off your debt.

Remember: Your budget should be customised to your lifestyle, so be open to adjusting based on your needs, debts, and cost of living.

You won’t achieve your financial New Year’s resolutions if you have pending bills and penalties. These debts can also affect your credit score and make it harder to secure financing for your dream purchases (like a house or a car).

Plus, mounting penalties and interest rates may eventually prevent you from saving the amount you need to achieve your financial goals.

To avoid getting sidetracked by liabilities, make it a point to regularly pay debts and to allot more than the minimum when it comes to paying your credit card bills.

After determining your budget, you can now set a monthly amount for your savings account. Plug that amount into your bank app and set it on repeat, so you can regularly add to a separate savings account without fail.

You can even automate deposits to your government contributions, like PhilHealth, the Social Security System, and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG).

To ensure you’re staying on track, use your spreadsheets and budgeting apps to record your expenses and monitor your progress.

You may be so focused on reaching your financial goals that you forget to notice the warning signs of a scam.

Before transferring any funds, remember: Scammers pressure their victims by creating a sense of urgency. For example, they may say you need to invest now, now, now or risk losing a great investment opportunity. In APP fraud, they may even pressure you to send money by pretending to be a loved one in need of emergency funds.

To avoid falling for scams and straying from your financial New Year’s resolutions, have an accountability partner you can consult before making important expenses. This partner can be a family member, friend or professional you trust.

Pat yourself on the back for being disciplined and achieving your goals but be kind to yourself if you fall short.

Life is full of surprises, so be grateful for what you’ve earned and be humble enough to accept that there are still factors that are out of your control—like the economy, inflation, or a family emergency—that may pose a challenge to sticking with your financial New Year’s resolutions.

Instead, focus on what you’re able to achieve despite the challenges that come your way.

As an OFW, a chunk of your financial New Year’s resolutions is centred on providing for your loved ones back home. That’s why when it comes to sending money to the Philippines, it’s important to choose a remittance service that offers competitive exchange rates and keeps your funds secure.

Kabayan Remit is a government-recognised remittance app that offers bank-level data encryption and lets OFWs in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States safely send money to reputable banks, e-wallets, and remittance centres in the Philippines.

Its handy calculator tool allows users to see how much they can save when they choose Kabayan Remit to transfer funds online, while its rewards program lets OFWs enjoy discounts and seasonal prizes to make sending love even more worthwhile.

Learn more about Kabayan Remit here or start sending funds by downloading the app today.

With Christmas only a few days away, it’s no surprise that some overseas Filipino workers wax sentimental over holiday memories of home. Whether you’re preparing to go carolling, performing at the community Christmas party, or just enjoying a well-earned day off, here are 10 iconic Filipino Christmas songs to bring some cheer and comfort for the holidays.

A Christmas staple, “Christmas in Our Hearts” originated from the poem “Ang Tubig Ay Buhay (Water Is Life)” by Assumption College High School alumna Chari Cruz Zarate. Jose Mari Chan set a melody for the verses in 1988 for the 25th anniversary of Zarate’s high school batch.

Two years later, Chan decided to use the melody in his first Christmas album, co-writing lyrics to the Filipino Christmas song with Rina Cañiza. Chan also tapped his daughter to sing with him after Lea Salonga and Monique Wilson, fresh from their stints in “Miss Saigon,” were unable to reach the recording studio.

While producers at the time thought the song would be a flash in the pan, “Christmas in Our Hearts” proved to be a smash hit—with the song reaching triple platinum status within weeks of its release.

The origin of Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit is a story of two Filipino Christmas songs: an earlier Cebuano version created in 1933 and a Tagalog version with the same melody released between 1936 to 1938.

According to Ivar Tulfo Garcia, founder and trustee of the Kultura Bisaya Foundation, Inc., “Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit” originated from the Visayan song “Kasadya Ning Takna-a,” composed in 1933 by Vicente Daclan Rubi with lyrics by Mariano Vestil and assistance from Manuel Velez. It was part of the score for a play by Rafael Policarpio.

In 1950, Rubi sold the rights to the song to the Manila-based Mabuhay Recording Company, owned by Luiz Punzalan Villar Sr. and launching pad of historic singers like Sylvia La Torre, Pilita Corrales, and Basil Valdez. Though he was paid an advance and promised royalties from the tune’s sales, Rubi had to endure a 22-year legal battle to get his due. Sadly, he did not live long enough to hear a court rule in his favour in 1998.

On the other hand, the Tagalog version of this Filipino Christmas song was written by National Artist Levi Celerio and composed by his best friend Josefino “Pepe” Cenizal, who was an actor, director, and musical director in his younger days. According to Inquirer.net, Cenizal’s “Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit” is a reinterpretation of background music he composed in 1937 for the movie “Pugad ng Aguila (Eagle’s Aerie)” by Parlatone Productions.

Composed by acclaimed musician Ryan Cayabyab and written by director Jose Javier Reyes, “Kumukutikutitap” was created for choir competition. Cayabyab and Javier had penned a mini musical on the nativity titled “Bituin (The Star of Bethlehem)” and were ready to debut it in 1983.

However, the competition they were slated to join was cancelled after politician Ninoy Aquino was shot in Manila International Airport (now known as Ninoy Aquino International Airport) on Aug. 21, 1983.

With the competition called off, Cayabyab allowed the Singers’ Foundation to add the Filipino Christmas song to their repertoire in 1984. Three years later, Joey Albert popularized “Kumukutikutitap” in her Christmas Album “Maligayang Pasko.”

“Payapang Daigdig” is a Filipino Christmas song of peace.

According to the stories, a young Felipe de Leon looked out a window in Manila in 1945 and saw the destruction wrought by World War II and the Battle of Manila. The painful sight and his wish for peace reportedly inspired him to compose “Payapang Daigdig.” Brigido Batungbakal and Eduardo de Leon later helped him with the lyrics.

Over the years, multiple choirs and soloists have interpreted the Philippine counterpart of “Silent Night,” including Lea Salonga, Regine Velasquez, the Himig Singers, the Ryan Cayabyab Singers, and the Philippine Madrigal Singers. The song even became part of the soundtrack of the Filipino version of the popular Korean film “Miracle in Cell No. 7.”

De Leon would go on to earn the title National Artist, composing historic songs, including the memorable Filipino Christmas songs “Pasko na Naman” and “Noche Buena.”

According to writer Baby A. Gil, this Filipino Christmas song created by National Artists Celerio and de Leon is inspired by the Spanish paso doble and is usually performed with a rondalla accompaniment.

And along with “Noche Buena,” this song is part of every Christmas caroller’s repertoire. Imagine it this way: You’re watching your favourite show on satellite TV when you hear the tansans and tambourines accompanying your neighbourhood carollers’ rendition of “Pasko na Naman” outside your window.

Made popular by Filipino balladeer Ariel Rivera, Jimmy Borja’s “Sana Ngayong Pasko” was inspired by Borja’s first love.

Borja remembered his first love fondly, even 14 years after she had moved away from the Philippines. He saw her again in their hometown in Bohol in 1992. But by the time they reconnected, she was already engaged. 

A year later, Borja used inspiration from their meeting to compose “Sana Ngayong Pasko” in 90 minutes. He then submitted the song to BMG Records, who was looking for a holiday song for Rivera’s 1993 Christmas album “Paskong Walang Katulad.” 

The Filipino Christmas song became the album’s biggest hit. It even inspired teleseryes in 2009 and 2019.

“I just think the lyrics, as well as the music of ‘Sana Ngayong Pasko,’ somehow relates to a lot of people to a certain extent,” Rivera told ABS-CBN. “During the Yuletide season, we seek to be with the people most important to us and people we love. But somehow, due certain circumstances, it doesn’t always work out that way.”

“Pasko na Sinta Ko” traces its origins in the University of the Philippines – Diliman campus. Written by UP music professor Aurelio Estanislao and composed by Francisco Dandan, the sentimental Filipino Christmas song was inspired by the love story between Aurelio’s students Alfredo “Fredo” Gutierrez and Melba Solidum.

Gutierrez and Solidum fell in love during their time in the UP Concert Chorus. However, the two were forced to part ways before Christmas when Solidum had to go to the United States for graduate school.

Estanislao saw how the separation broke Gutierrez’s heart and recorded his observations through song.

In 1977, the UPCC performed the final version of “Pasko na Sinta Ko” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The choir’s conductor Rey T. Paguio even had Gutierrez sing the opening solo.

Years after the song’s debut, Gutierrez and Solidum went on to live separate lives. The song also became a pop hit in 1986 after Gary Valenciano added it to his Christmas album with help from his then-girlfriend and now-wife Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano, who was a student at UP.

In 2019, Gutierrez left the Philippines and joined the many Filipinos in Canada. Unfortunately, he was unable to reconnect with Solidum, who passed away in 2016.

Today, Gutierrez believes the song’s meaning has gone beyond the story of his first love.

“If you were an OFW working abroad or whatever it is that you do elsewhere around the world, and you’re far away from your family; you can be far away from your dearest friend; you can be far away from your husband, your kids, whoever. The theme is always there,” Gutierrez told ABS-CBN. “The essence of the song is always like missing someone you love. Missing someone dear and you can’t be with them during that Christmas season because you are far apart. So I would say it has become the universal essence of the song itself.”

Made popular by Susan Fuentes, the 1970s Queen of Visayan Songs, this Filipino Christmas song is an example of Manila Sound, which infuses English and Filipino lyrics with rock and roll, jazz, and funk to create the unique melodies that characterised Pinoy urban life in the 1970s.

Hermie Uy and Fe Ayala’s iconic Christmas carol has since been performed by a bevy of OPM stars, including Sharon Cuneta, Sarah Geronimo, Ice Seguerra, Morissete and St. Wolf, and Rico J. Puno.

Another hit by Celerio and de Leon, the song teaches us about a beloved Filipino Christmas tradition. And according to GMA’s popular magazine show Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho, because the lyricist Celerio was from Bulacan, the song features a Bulaceño tradition of eating tinolang manok (chicken tinola) for breakfast on Christmas day.

Since its debut, “Noche Buena” has become a traditional Christmas song for choirs, chorales, pop singers, and variety shows.

Written by Eva Vivar and composed by Celso Abenoja, “Christmas Bonus” was released in Aegis’s Christmas album “Paskung Pasko.”

The Pinoy band told ABS-CBN News they dedicated the Filipino Christmas song “to the hard-working employees that most of us can relate to.”

The song became so popular that today’s fans request the band to perform the song at any time of the year. It has even become part of the score for Philippine Educational Theater Association’s hit musical “Rak of Aegis.”

Learn more about Kabayan Remit here or download the app here.

Kabayan Remit is a secure money transfer app that lets OFWs send savings to reputable banks, e-wallets, and remittance centres in the Philippines. The service also boasts competitive exchange rates, a sulit rewards program, and a 24/7 bilingual support team to help Pinoys make the most of their remittances.

Whether you’ll be celebrating and singing Christmas songs in the Philippines or overseas this year, there’s a safe way to send love to your family back home.

While Mpox made headlines in the Philippines in August, this is not the first time the illness was part of the country’s news.

There are 14 active mpox cases in the Pearl of the Orient as of 9 September 2024, but the country’s health department has been reporting mpox in the Philippines since 2022—the same year the World Health Organisation declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

WHO removed the disease’s PHEIC status in May 2023 following a drop in reported cases; but with a new type of mpox reported this year and a recent uptick in cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and nearby countries, the United Nations’ health agency again declared mpox a PHEIC in August 2024.

Considering recent international and Philippine events, Kabayan Remit has gathered pertinent information to keep you up to date on mpox, what it is, and what you can do to stay safe. Read on to learn more.

Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus.

According to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “This virus is part of the same family as the virus that causes smallpox.”

Though similarly named, mpox and chickenpox are not related.

According to WHO, mpox is part of the genus Orthopoxvirus in the Poxviridae family. It has two types:

• Clade I – This type of mpox, specifically the clade Ib strain, is what is being reported in cases from Central and East Africa and the reason for the WHO’s PHEIC declaration in August 2024. According to the CDC, records suggest that this clade is more severe than mpox clade II.
• Clade II – This, specifically clade IIb, was the cause of the WHO’s PHEIC declaration in 2022. Reported cases of this type of mpox usually come from West Africa, but the 2022 PHEIC recorded cases around the world.

While mpox may seem like a new disease, scientists have records of this illness dating back to the 20th century.

It was first recorded in a Danish lab in 1958, when scientists observed poxes on research monkeys. What caused these poxes remains undetermined.

Twelve years later, the DRC recorded the first case of mpox on a human; and in the decades that followed, doctors continued recording mpox cases from Central, West, and East Africa. Since 2005, the DRC has reported thousands of cases.

News of mpox reaching a different continent came in 2003, when the U.S. reported an mpox outbreak. According to the WHO, these cases were “linked to imported wild animals.”

More recent news reported mpox in Nigeria in 2017, followed by the PHEIC in 2022. That same year, the WHO changed the disease’s name to mpox to address the “racist and stigmatizing language online” that stemmed from using the old “monkeypox” name.

The WHO declared a second PHEIC in August 2024, following an outbreak of mpox clade Ib “in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries.” Other types of mpox continue to be reported in the DRC, countries in Africa, and in other parts of the world—including the Philippines.

Columbia University’s Pandemic Response Institute reported four ways mpox is transmitted among people, animals, and contaminated objects:

• Person-to-person transmission – A person touches someone or is close to someone with mpox. This type of transmission includes sexual contact, breathing, talking, hugging, or kissing. 
• Fomite transmission – A person touches something that has been exposed to someone with mpox.
• Animal-to-person transmission – A person handles or is wounded by a live animal carrying the virus. This is also when a person handles or ingests the uncooked meat of an animal with mpox.
• Health care setting transmission – A health professional is wounded by a contaminated needle or engages with an mpox patient without wearing the proper personal protective equipment.

According to the CDC, clade I is the more serious type of mpox, but deaths among patients with this clade have recently decreased to 1% to 3.3% from the previous rate of 10%.

“Infections from clade II mpox are generally less severe. More than 99.9% of people survive,” they said.

However, while people may recover from mpox, it is still important to take precautions against the disease—especially if you are among what the CDC identified as high-risk patients:

• Immunocompromised people
• Children under a year old
• People with a history of eczema
• Pregnant people and their foetuses or newborns

These four groups have a higher chance of experiencing complications if they contract mpox.

According to the WHO, people may begin experiencing mpox symptoms within a day to 3 weeks after exposure.

If you or someone you know may have mpox, look out for these signs:

• Rash
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Back pain
• Low energy
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Clogged nose
• Cough

Note that mpox rashes may resemble acne or blisters that hurt or itch and scab during the healing process. The rashes can appear all over the hands and feet and around the body, including the mouth, genitals, anus, and face.

According to the CDC, a person can transmit mpox when they begin showing symptoms, and they are only considered recovered when “the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed.”

The Philippines recorded its first mpox case in July 2022. Since then, nine people have recovered, while 14 cases of mpox clade II remain active as of 9 Sept.

The country’s Department of Health said close contact, including sexual contact, was the usual mode of transmission for mpox cases in the Philippines.

“Anyone can get mpox, but it is clear that the mode of transmission here is close, intimate, skin-to-skin contact,” Philippine Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told Rappler.

Herbosa said that the number of mpox cases in the country has been increasing because more people are getting tested for the disease.

Yes, there are two vaccines for mpox:

• Jynneos by Bavarian Nordic
• LC16 by KM Biologics

The WHO recommends that these high-risk groups get vaccinated against mpox:

• Health professionals
• Household or community members of someone with mpox
• People with multiple sexual partners
• Sex workers of any gender and their clients

People who have been exposed to mpox can still get vaccinated up to three days after exposure or at most 14 days after exposure if they have not yet developed symptoms.

In the country, the DOH is getting 2,000 doses of Jynneos to address mpox in the Philippines.

People may also get tested for free at any government hospital, with the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine releasing results in 48 to 78 hours. To reduce the time it takes for patients to see their test results, the DOH is training more labs in mpox testing.

In a recent memorandum the DOH reminded everyone in the country to follow these “standard minimum precautions” to prevent mpox:

• Wash and sanitise hands regularly.
• Avoid close contact with anyone exhibiting mpox symptoms or with anyone who has handled objects that may be contaminated with mpox.
• Wear PPEs, like gloves and a mask, if you are caring for someone with mpox.
• Thoroughly sanitise objects that have been exposed to someone with mpox.
• Be careful around animals—living, sick, or dead—that may be carrying the mpox virus.

If you think you or someone you know may have mpox, remember to:

• Call a health professional as soon as possible.
• Get tested.
• Wear a mask, especially when around others.
• Isolate at home for 21 days or until your mpox rashes are fully healed and symptoms have stopped.
• Do not touch mpox rashes with your bare hands.
• Do not scratch or pop mpox rashes.
• Do not shave body parts where mpox rashes are present.
• Cover mpox rashes, especially when around others.
• Keep your skin clean and dry.
• Use separate linens and utensils from the rest of your household.
• Keep your pets in a separate part of the house.

If you have more questions about mpox, you can also consult these links:

• DOH’s 2022 guidelines for mpox
• WHO’s answers to frequently asked questions
• A guide by the US CDC

While you may be far away from your loved ones right now, you can still do your part in preventing the spread of mpox in the Philippines by keeping your family informed. Share this article with the people you love and encourage them to continue staying up to date with the latest news on this viral disease.

In case of emergency, Kabayan Remit’s secure money transfer app is here to help you send money to major banks, e-wallets, and cash remittance centres in the Philippines.

To learn more about Kabayan Remit’s benefits and features, click here.

Following this year’s Olympics, six Filipino athletes are in Paris to go for gold at the 2024 Paralympics. This is the biggest contingent of Pinoy para-athletes to compete in the international games since 2012.

With the games already in progress, get to know the Pinoys competing in para swimming, para archery, para athletics, and para taekwondo on the global stage.

One of the country’s flag bearers, 56-year-old Agustina Maximo Bantiloc is the first Filipino para archer to make it to the Paralympics. The former powerlifter recently concluded her stint at the 2024 Paralympics with a season best of 618 points.

“I am happy with what I performed because I believe I did my best,” she told ABS-CBN following her match. She also promised to improve and likened her rising to challenges to how she put her three children through college.

Flag bearer Ernie Gawilan won the Philippines’ first gold medal in the Asian Para Games by being the fastest swimmer in the men’s 400m freestyle-S7 event in 2023. He is set to compete in the same event and in the 200m individual medley-SM7 in Paris.

The 2024 Paralympics will be Gawilan’s third time to compete among the world’s best para-athletes, having competed in the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Games. In Tokyo, Gawilan swam close to a podium finish, ending in sixth place in men’s 400m freestyle-S7.

Angel Otom will be making her world debut in the 2024 Paralympics. Currently a sports science major in the University of the Philippines–Diliman, the university’s first varsity para swimmer won four gold medals at the 2023 ASEAN Para Games.

As a swimmer, Otom wants to inspire other people with disabilities and young athletes to believe in themselves and persevere. “The most important thing in sports is that you’re having fun with what you’re doing,” she said.

After missing the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics due to the coronavirus, Allain Keanu Ganapin will make his debut at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. He will be competing in the men’s K44 -80kg event.

The Marikina native turned to taekwondo to overcome bullying, using his martial arts skills to earn his peers’ respect and change how they viewed him. Ganapin eventually joined the Philippine taekwondo team in 2016.

As a national athlete, he won a bronze medal each from the 2017 Oceana Para Taekwondo Open in Auckland, New Zealand and the 2021 Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Amman, Jordan.

Long-time para-athlete Jerrold Pete Mangliwan qualified for the 2024 Paralympics following his breathtaking win at the 2023 Asian Para Games, when the six-time ASEAN Games gold medallist beat Ueyonabaru Hirota in the men’s 400-meter T52 finals after initially trailing behind the Japanese racer.

Mangliwan had competed in four Asian Para Games before winning his first gold in October last year.

As of 9:33 p.m. of 30 Aug. 2024, Mangliwan won fourth place in the men’s 400m T52 qualifying event and has made it to the finals.

The 2024 Paralympics will mark Cendy Asusano’s debut in the world games. Asusano has won four gold medals in the ASEAN Para Games and recently reached fourth place in women’s javelin throw-F54 at the World Para Athletics Championships.

Besides javelin throw, Asusano is also a formidable shot-put athlete, having won a gold medal in the said event at the 2023 ASEAN Para Games.

The Paralympics have been running for 76 years since 29 July 1948, when Sir Ludwig Guttman held the Stoke Mandeville Games on the opening day of the 1948 London Olympics. Guttman had organised the games for World War 2 Royal Air Force veterans, providing 16 former pilots with spinal cord injuries a space to compete in archery and netball.

The Stoke Mandeville Games continued through the 1950s, eventually growing into an international event with hundreds of participants.

In 1960, the event gathered 400 para-athletes from 23 countries in Rome, Italy and became known as the quadrennial Paralympic Games. Organisers held their first winter para games in 1976.

Since 1988, the Paralympics have been held in the same city as the Olympics. That same year was also when the Philippines first joined the para games.

Since consistently joining the Paralympics in 2000, two Filipinos have won bronze medals:

• Adeline Dumapong – Dumapong won a bronze in women’s powerlifting in the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
• Josephine Medina – The late table tennis athlete Josephine Medina won the country’s second bronze in the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Support the Philippines’ para-athletes at the 2024 Paralympics by watching the games live on the Paralympic Games’ official YouTube channel. To make sure you’re watching at the right time, check out our athletes’ schedules here.

Don’t watch alone! Make the games even more memorable by setting up a virtual watch party with friends and family in the Philippines and sending love with Kabayan Remit.

Kabayan Remit is a secure money transfer app that lets overseas Filipino workers safely send money from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States to major banks, e-wallets, and cash remittance centres in the Philippines, including:

• Bank of the Philippine Islands
• Metrobank
• Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation
• GCash
• Maya
• Cebuana Lhuillier 
• LBC
• Palawan Pawnshop

The app boasts bank-level security and encryption and is regulated in Canada and the UK by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada and the Financial Conduct Authority, respectively.

You can even use the Kabayan Remit app to pay your bills and your SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG contributions.

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With the 2024 Paris Olympics happening from 26 July to 11 August, all eyes are on the Philippine team to replicate their Tokyo 2020 performance and bring home the gold.

Team 2020 saw weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz win the country’s first gold medal, while boxers Eumir Marcial, Carlo Paalam, and Nesthy Petecio brought home bronze and silver medals for the Philippines.

This year, the Philippines returns to Paris—where the country debuted as the world’s first Southeast Asian Olympic participant a century ago—to surpass their previous record and cement their place as a team to beat.

As the Olympics draws nearer, let’s get to know the 22 high-calibre Filipino athletes making their way to the City of Lights.

Ranking second in the world for men’s pole vault, EJ Obiena made his Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, where he finished in 11th place.

Obiena comes from a family of athletes; in fact, his father was his pole vault coach until he was 18. He made waves as a college athlete, breaking national records when he competed for the University of Santo Tomas.

As a professional athlete, Obiena became a Southeast Asian and Asian Games gold medallist and record breaker. Merely months before the 2024 Paris Olympics, he broke another record in February 2024 by clearing 5.93 metres and going beyond the previous Asian indoor pole vault record set in 1998.

In his second Olympic appearance, Obiena aims to make it to the podium and bring home a medal for the Philippines.

A Filipino from Spain, John Cabang Tolentino holds the Philippine national record for men’s 100-metre hurdles, having completed the feat at 13.37 seconds.

The 22-year-old has been running for the Philippines since 2022 and has since been going up the ranks in international competitions. He recently won the country a bronze medal at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.

As of July 2024, the World Athletics Organisation ranks Tolentino in the world’s top 40 male athletes in 100m hurdles.

Filipino American Lauren Hoffman holds the national record for women’s 400m and 100m hurdles. Already a track athlete in Duke University, Hoffman joined the Philippine national team after learning her performance record qualified her to represent the country. She began running under the Philippine banner in 2023, breaking national hurdling records along the way.

“I have the potential to be something great,” she recently told Rappler. “I’m on track to do something great. And I would love to represent the Philippines while I’m competing professionally.”

Carlos Yulo made his Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he narrowly missed a podium finish for men’s vault by a few decimal points.

Artistic gymnastics enthusiasts are hoping Yulo will finally win a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics despite entering the competition without a coach.

In 2023, Yulo amicably parted ways with his longtime trainer Munehiro Kugiyama. He was set to train with a new coach, Tomoharu Sano, that same year, but plans fell through after Sano was forced to bow out due to an injury.

Coachless, Yulo surprised the elite gymnastics community by failing to stick a landing in two routines at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Yet despite a rocky start, he still managed to secure an Olympic spot by excelling at floor exercise.

His most recent accolades include a bronze medal from the 2024 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Baku, Azerbaijan and gold and silver medals in the same event’s Doha, Qatar leg.

CORRECTION: While he was initially coachless in the early days of his journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Yulo later found a coach in Aldrin Castañeda, who used to train the gymnast at the junior level.

Filipino American Aleah Finnegan began her gymnastics journey when she was just two years old, following in the footsteps of her three older sisters. In fact, her eldest sister Hannah was also part of the Philippine team and represented the country in the 2011 SEA Games.

Finnegan was already an elite gymnast in the United States and had even attempted to join the U.S. national team for the Tokyo 2020 Games. While she failed to qualify for Team USA, she did receive an invitation from the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines to join the country’s national team.

Finnegan bagged gold and silver medals in the 2021 SEA Games wearing Philippine colours. In 2023, she qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics by ranking 32nd in the women’s all-around event at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championship in Belgium.

The youngest athlete in the Philippines’ 2024 Olympic lineup, Levi Jung-Ruivivar has been garnering awards since she was 10 years old.

The 18-year-old Filipino American had been competing for the US until Philippine gymnastics coach Cliff Parks invited her to join the Pinoy national team. In April, she clinched a spot in the Olympics by winning silver in uneven bars at the 2024 FIG World Cup in Doha.

After her Olympic debut, Jung-Ruivivar will be joining the gymnastics team at Stanford University.

Emma Malabuyo already had a taste of the Olympics when she was an alternate for Team USA in Tokyo 2020, but she wanted more. By joining the Philippine gymnastics team, she traversed a journey of ups and downs to finally make it to Paris.

In 2023, she represented the Philippines in the Asian Games, where she bagged a silver medal for the floor event at the Asian Gymnastics Games. This was the highest award for a Filipina gymnast in the AGC.

However, Malabuyo endured two heartbreaks on the way to the Olympics: (1) her team at the University of California – Los Angeles lost the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s regional competition; and (2) she failed to secure an Olympic spot at the 2024 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Doha.

Unwilling to surrender, Malabuyo gave it one more shot at FIG’s Uzbekistan leg, where she won a bronze in the individual all-around event and qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Boxing was the Philippines’ best sport at the previous Olympics, with three podium finishes in Tokyo 2020. For the Paris games, these three Olympic medallists will return to the international arena:

• Eumir Marcial – The middleweight fighter won a bronze medal in Tokyo and has revered boxer Manny Pacquiao’s blessing to compete for the country.
• Carlo Paalam – By winning his flyweight qualifying match last June, the Olympic silver medallist and former scrap metal scavenger returns to the Olympics as the Philippines’ flag bearer.
• Nesthy Petecio – Petecio will be joining Paalam as the country’s flag bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Competing in the women’s featherweight division, this may be the southpaw’s last Olympic bout. 

Along with Olympic medallists, these two formidable fighters will be making their Olympic debut in the Paris Games:

• Aira Villegas – From Tacloban, Leyte, this flyweight boxer will be competing for the Philippines and for her brother and mentor Rominick, who once dreamed of joining the national boxing team.
• Hergie Bacyadan – With a background in martial arts, Bacyadan is already known as the Philippines’ first vovinam world champion. In Paris, the nonbinary athlete will be competing as a boxer in the women’s middleweight division.

John Ceniza is the first Filipino male weightlifter to go to the Olympics in eight years. The former porter and parking attendant was inspired to take up the sport by his brother Evangelito and by mentor and former Olympic weightlifter Nestor Colonia.

Prior to his Olympic debut, Ceniza made a name for himself by becoming a two-time SEA Games silver medallist and by winning a bronze medal at the 2020 Weightlifting World Cup in Rome, Italy.

In April 2024, he qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics by lifting a total of 300 kilograms at the 2024 International Weightlifting Federation World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.

Lifting a total 228 kg at the 2024 IWF World Cup, Elreen Ando bested Olympic gold medallist Hidilyn Diaz to secure a spot in the Philippine Olympic team. This will be Ando’s second time to compete in the Olympics, having joined Diaz in the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The Cebuana is already bemedalled, with a gold from the 2023 SEA Games and two silvers from the 2019 and 2021 SEA Games, respectively. In Paris, she will be competing in the women’s 59 kg division, after going down a weight class to improve her performance and odds.

Seen as the next Hidilyn Diaz, Vanessa Sarno will be competing in the women’s 71 kg weight division at the 2024 Paris Olympics.  The 20-year-old and two-time SEA Games gold medallist lifted a total 245 kg at the IWF World Cup, securing her spot in the Philippine Olympic team.

According to the Daily Tribune, “Vannessa Sarno will be entering the Paris Olympics as one of the best weightlifters in Asia.”

Sam Catantan is the first Filipino fencer to compete in the Olympics since Walter Torres in 1992. The University of the East high school alum qualified for the Olympics just 10 months after surgery for an ACL injury that had forced her to relinquish her gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia.

Apart from being in the Philippine Olympic team, Catantan is also team captain of the Pennsylvania State University’s fencing team.

Athlete Joanie Delgaco switched from volleyball to rowing and moved from Bicol to Manila at 17 to become a national athlete and help her family out of poverty.

Despite being shorter than the national team’s 5’7 height requirement, Delgaco made it to the rowing team and became a formidable rower, bagging gold, silver, and bronze medals in three different SEA Games. Her Olympic-qualifying performance saw her reach fourth place in the World Rowing Asian and Oceanian Qualification Regatta in Korea.

As the first Filipina rower to compete in the Olympics, Delgaca will be taking her father on his first trip abroad.

In the year prior to qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Bianca Pagdanganan made it to the top 10 in three different golf tournaments and reached runner-up status at the 2023 Ascendant LPGA Benefiting the Volunteers of America. Three years before that, Pagdanganan was named Rookie of the Year by the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

Golfing has always been a part of Pagdanganan’s life. She got into the sport as a little girl in the Philippines, accompanying her father to weekend rounds of golf. When she moved to the U.S. for university, she took the love of the game with her and eventually found her way into playing for the University of Arizona’s varsity team. It was during her time that the university won the 2018 NCAA championship for women’s golf.

This will be Pagdanganan’s second time in the Olympics following her debut in Tokyo 2020.

Dottie Ardina would have competed in Rio 2016 had it not been for the Zika virus scare. Eight years after withdrawing from the competition, Ardina is finally making her Olympic debut.

The golfer has been in the sport since she was five. At just 12 years old in 2006, she was the youngest member of the Philippine contingent to the World Amateur Team Championships.

Ardina went pro in 2013, quickly winning her first international championship at the 2014 Thailand Singha-Sat LPGA Championship. She recently finished seventh at the Dana Open in Sylvania, Ohio—just weeks away from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Filipino-Japanese judoka Kiyomi Watanabe will be returning to the Olympics in a bid to redeem herself from her 2020 loss at the Tokyo Games, where she was the country’s flag bearer and the first Pinay judoka to compete at the Olympic level.

Watanabe currently ranks 92nd in the world. She is also a four-time SEA Games gold medallist and an Asian Games silver medallist.

Having grown up with her two Filipino parents in Toronto, Kayla Sanchez debuted in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics under the Canadian flag and won the Great White North a bronze and a silver medal in swimming. However, her Filipino roots and her desire to make a difference in the Philippines convinced her to join the country’s national team two years later

“Aside from how much I’ve grown and how good everything has been in Canada, I needed to make this really difficult decision for myself and my family to take this opportunity to represent the Philippines,” Sanchez said in a 2022 statement.  “I want to inspire people that are like me to swim and get into the sport.”

A year later, the International Olympic Committee approved her change of nationality, allowing her to represent the Philippines in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Filipino American Jordan Hatch came out of retirement to swim under the Philippine flag in the 2024 Paris Olympics. A former varsity swimmer for UC Berkeley, Hatch had been competing for the Philippines since 2018 before he announced his early retirement in 2021.

He is a 2019 SEA Games silver medallist and holds the Philippine national records for the 500m butterfly and 100m butterfly events.

Kabayan Remit users all over the world can go online and watch the full livestream coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics using the Smart LiveStream App. Select competitions will also be streamed on social media via Smart Sports and Puso Pilipinas.

Want to take the excitement up a notch? How about hosting a virtual watch party with your loved ones in the Philippines? And to make it even better, treat them to their favourite TV snacks. Use Kabayan Remit to transfer funds safely and ensure the goodies make it home. Let’s make the 2024 Paris Olympics an unforgettable experience for the whole family!