Tsina Sa Aking Mata

28/10/2026

🇵🇭 Filipino ingenuity stands tall in Chongqing!
Rosario National High School in Rosario, Cavite, earned one of three Team Grand Awards at the inaugural China–ASEAN “Play with Math” STEM awards, which drew nearly 200 student entries from seven ASEAN countries.
Their Project TINDIG combines AI and wearable vibration alerts to help students improve their classroom posture—a Filipino response to an everyday challenge.
Beyond the award, the gathering gave Filipino and Chinese teachers and students opportunities to share ideas, learn from one another, and build friendships.
These personal connections help strengthen understanding between our countries.
📖 Read my latest article:

A Filipino invention designed to help students sit better in class has earned international recognition in Chongqing, southwestern China, highlighting how...

28/10/2026

🌾 From Bukidnon to Hunan, exploring new ways to grow
What could agricultural cooperation with China mean for Bukidnon’s farms and communities? From smart farming to agricultural machinery, the delegation’s visit to Hunan offered a look at technologies and opportunities worth exploring.
In my latest article for TSAM News, I look at these exchanges—and their potential to bring our communities closer through agriculture.
📖 Read more:
https://tsamnews.com/article/beyond-the-harvest-bukidnon-looks-to-hunan-for-farm-technology-and-stronger-ties

Agricultural cooperation may begin around a meeting table, but its real promise lies closer to the ground: in farms with better equipment, more reliable...

26/10/2026

🇵🇭 AMOY DURIAN. AMOY BUSINESS. US$60 MILLION. 💰
Some fruits get banned from hotel rooms. Philippine durian went to China and helped bring home a sales record. Apparently, being sweet and smelling nice is NOT the only way to succeed.
Philippine exporters recorded US$60 million in reported export sales at CAEXPO 2026, with fresh durian accounting for 90%.
To every Filipino who has nervously opened a container of tuyo abroad: your misunderstood-food redemption story has arrived. 🤣
But beyond the punchlines are Philippine farmers, homegrown businesses, Filipino craftsmanship, and Chinese buyers discovering what we bring to the table. Orders can mean livelihoods. Product samples can start conversations. Repeat business can build trust.
Hindi lang tayo pang-world-class talent. Pang-world-class supplier din. 🇵🇭🌏
With Philippine and Chinese government support helping open doors, our exporters gave buyers a reason to walk through them.
Who knew building bridges could smell this strong? 😏
👉 Read the full story:
https://tsamnews.com/article/a-us60-million-harvest-philippine-exports-soar-at-caexpo-as-business-builds-bridges-with-china

Durian may divide a room by smell, but at this year’s China-ASEAN Expo, it helped bring Filipino sellers and Chinese buyers together—to the tune of millions of...

25/10/2026

22/10/2026

🍌 THE BANANA HAS DONE ENOUGH NETWORKING.

It reached Chongqing. Made connections. Opened doors. And it doesn’t even have a LinkedIn account.

Now, the Philippines is pitching the next chapter: electric vehicles, food processing, digital services, and renewable energy. 🇵🇭🤝🇨🇳

The message to Chongqing businesses? Keep buying the bananas—but let’s talk factories, technology, and jobs, too.

Because a trade relationship deserves more than a permanent spot in the fruit aisle. 😉

Beyond bananas. Bigger possibilities. Time to get down to business.

Read the full story:
https://tsamnews.com/article/beyond-bananas-philippines-pitches-bigger-business-opportunities-to-chongqing

At the 2026 Business Connect International in Chongqing, the Philippines pitched investment opportunities across EV assembly, agricultural processing, digital...

21/10/2026

⛵ Your parcel is delayed? Try waiting for the monsoon.

Before “add to cart,” traders from Ma-i were making the voyage to Guangzhou—with actual ships, precious cargo, and absolutely no option to “contact rider.” 😂

The year was 982. Overseas shopping required sailing skills. “Tracking” meant looking at the horizon. And free shipping? How adorable.

That early Philippine connection with Guangzhou reminds us that people were crossing seas to exchange goods long before we started crossing comment sections to exchange insults. 👀

A sea voyage. An old Chinese record. A connection worth rediscovering.

Read the story:
https://tsamnews.com/article/before-add-to-cart-there-was-ma-i-guangzhou-and-a-philippine-connection-across-the-sea

Before “add to cart,” traders from Ma-i were making the voyage to Guangzhou—with actual ships, precious cargo, and absolutely no option to “contact rider.” 😂...

21/10/2026

Unearthed in 1976. Still Digging Up Lessons We Haven’t Learned. 🚣👀

This 2026 marks 50 years since the discovery and first excavation of a Balangay in Butuan in 1976—a reminder that our ancestors were navigating trade routes long before we started struggling with Google Maps.

No GPS. No tracking number. And “free shipping”? Sure—just bring your own boat, crew, and favorable winds. 😂

These vessels carried more than goods. They connected communities, cultures, and ideas across the seas, including through trade with China.

Apparently, our ancestors understood that meeting the neighbors could be more productive than arguing about them in the comments section. 👀

Fifty years since the unearthing. More than a thousand years of stories. Still giving us something to learn.

Read the full story:
https://tsamnews.com/article/parrots-spices-and-royal-ambition-when-the-kingdom-of-butuan-reached-out-to-song-dynasty-china

The gifts included red parrots. The business was royal. More than a thousand years ago, the Kingdom of Butuan was reaching across the sea to Song Dynasty...

20/10/2026

Just the basics,” I said. A wonderfully reassuring phrase with absolutely no promise of an easy afternoon. 😂🥢
Here in Beijing, I’m sharing the basics of Balintawak Eskrima’s Group 2 with Bertram Macdonald—then adding a few extras.
Repetition, coordination, and that familiar moment when the brain says “understood” while the hands request another meeting. 😅
Behind the banter is a serious purpose: sharing Philippine culture through Arnis, building friendships, and learning together—one stick, one lesson, and one laugh at a time. 🇵🇭🤝🌏