Sightings that deserve to be acknowledged or called out for action By Freida Dario-Santiago DISCLAIMER: If action has already been taken since the photos were taken, we thank those responsible for their intervention.The community deeply appreciates every effort to keep our island safe, clean, and cared for. 👍🏼 THUMBS UP CLEARING OF DISCARDED PONTOON BLOCKS FROM BULABOG BEACH Before (March 2025) and after (August 2026) 📸 Freida Dario-Santiago On August 20 and 21, 2026, we w

From Inquiry to Action: Making Boracay’s Passenger Journey Safer and More Accessible By Cris Cahilig Passengers struggle to board a fast craft to Boracay, balancing on narrow gangways with luggage in tow. 📸 Freida Dario-Santiago For years, improving our ports and boats has seemed like a difficult challenge. Several stakeholder organizations had raised concerns, yet little seemed to move forward. Then one day, I saw a social media post praising government personnel for manual

How early Italian settlers helped shape the Boracay we know today By Amanda Virrey Paolo Occhionero, Luigi Barbolla, Marco Biggiogero and his son Leone. 📸 Freida Dario-Santiago Shortly after Boracay started gaining attention as “paradise on earth,” as mentioned by German writer Jens Peters in 1979 in his Philippines Travel Guide, Italians began coming to the island in the late 70s. In December 1978, Mario Sezian flew to the island from his hometown in Valle d’Aosta upon lear

By Jaz Mara Precisely measure, intently sift, briskly whisk and gently pour. These are the essential steps in making a glass of matcha latte. The whole process is a graceful ceremony on its own, making each serving a picture-perfect beauty to be enjoyed sip after sip. Matcha continues to grow in popularity, with restaurants and cafés responding to demand, each serving their own classic and creative mixes. Luckily for matcha enthusiasts visiting Boracay, several cafés now offe

By Julianna Patricia Varga The buzz around “peptides” and Ozempic has turned weight loss into one of the hottest wellness conversations in the Philippines. But the first thing to know is this: Ozempic is not something separate from peptides. It is a peptide-based medicine with semaglutide, an FDA-approved prescription medication used to treat type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management as its active ingredient. Ozempic/Semaglutide belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1

By Gene Loves Acosta Most people leave Boracay with a tan and a hundred photos of the sunset. But what if you left with a skill? A holiday is a pretty good time to try something new. You’re out of your routine, you have time, and being a complete beginner on an island is surprisingly liberating. Here are a few worth giving a shot. Tibetan Sound Healing Certificate Course Duration: 2 days (Basic); 4 full days (Certification) Cost: $1,500 to $3,500 Best for: Wellness enthusias

By Jun N. Aguirre 📸 Malay Transportation Office and Assistance Page (Facebook) With Boracay now operating on an almost entirely electric tricycle-based public transport system, local officials and industry stakeholders are calling for continued strict regulation to ensure the safety, quality and reliability of e-trikes serving residents and millions of tourists. Former Malay Municipal Councilor Dante Pagsuguiron, who authored Municipal Ordinance 508-2002, or the “E-Trike Law

By Jun N. Aguirre PhilHealth YAKAP booth at the Handog ng Pangulo caravan in Kalibo. 📸 Brigada News FM Kalibo Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s (PhilHealth) Yaman ng Kalusugan (YAKAP) Program could become an important healthcare support mechanism for the Ati community in Boracay, particularly in bringing preventive and primary healthcare services closer to Indigenous families. Bien Paul Obordo, Aklan chief social insurance officer, said YAKAP is PhilHealth’s primary care p

By Jun N. Aguirre (From left) Councilors Sheila Sacapaño, Hope Pagsuguiron, Richelda Sinag, Jhonnel Casidsid, GBTA Pres. Michelle Taylan, Mayor Frolibar Bautista, Malaysian Ambassador H.E. Dato' Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, Councilors Vicky Aguirre-Salem and Nathalie Paderes 📸 Malay-Boracay Tourism Office Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista plans to pursue a cashless payment system in Boracay, as the local government moves toward greater digitalization of tourism services and tra

By Jun N. Aguirre 📸 DEPDev Region VI (Facebook) The Sangguniang Bayan of Malay is calling for the creation of an inter-agency task force to help ensure a stable and reliable electricity supply in Boracay and Malay amid continuing concerns over power availability, possible rate increases and uncertainties in the international energy market. Malay Councilor Vicky Aguirre-Salem told the Boracay Sun News on August 12 that the proposed task force should include the Municipal Gove

The clouds may linger, but the light always breaks through and a new season begins. 📸 Freida Dario-Santiago There’s a saying that “no news is good news,” which means that all is well in the world. Well, perhaps not quite. It has been an extraordinarily eventful few months, and sometimes it feels as though the news comes at us faster than we can absorb it. Wars and conflict continue thousands of miles away. Extreme weather events have devastated communities. An ongoing global

Visionary, public servant, sports icon and environmental warrior who spent much of her life fighting for the island she loved By Freida Dario-Santiago A FINAL SALUTE - Boracay’s dragon boat teams raised their paddles in salute to fellow paddler Nenette Aguirre-Graf on Bulabog Beach on August 16. Two days later, windsurf boards and kites lined the shore as the PNP escorted her aboard a native bangka on her final journey to Mainland Malay. 📸 Vivid Preglo The Boracay Sun News f

By Pauline Reitzer 📸 Getty Images The real question may not be whether AI is taking over our decisions, but whether we are learning how to use it without giving up our own judgment. What should I eat for dinner? Should I take this medicine? Is my partner being unfair? Should I quit my job? Not long ago, these were questions we answered through experience, conversations with friends and family, and Google searches. Today, we can ask an AI chatbot and receive a thoughtful-loo

By Freida Dario-Santiago International tennis star and Philippine pride Alex Eala has said it more than once. In fact, she seems to say it every chance she gets: she loves Boracay. “If I could be invisible for a day, I would go to Boracay or another island in the Philippines and have a nice vacation,” she said in a WTA post on September 2, just after winning her first-round match at the US Open. On another occasion, fresh from making history as the first Filipino to claim a W

By Freida Dario-Santiago To commemorate World Kindness Day, we asked a few schoolchildren from the Boracay European International School (BEIS) to tell us, in their own words, what kindness means to them and to give examples of acts of kindness. Why children? Because they have a magical way of seeing things simply and reminding us of truths adults sometimes forget. WE ASKED: What is kindness? What are some examples of acts of kindness? The result is a heartwarming collection

By Pauline Reitzer 📸 Getty Images October is a timely reminder that mental health deserves the same care and attention as our physical well-being. In our busy daily lives, it’s easy to focus on work, family, responsibilities and deadlines while ignoring our emotional health. Stress, grief, anxiety, loneliness or exhaustion can affect anyone, regardless of age or background. Taking care of our mental health often begins with small, consistent habits that help us feel more bal

Filipino swimmers make their mark as Boracay hosts regional championships By Jun N. Aguirre 📸 Boracay Newcoast Boracay’s familiar waves took on a different rhythm from August 21 to 23 as swimmers from across Southeast Asia plunged into the waters for three days of competition, testing their endurance and skills in open water. Boracay became the venue of the 4th Southeast Asia Open Water Swimming Championships, bringing together nearly 200 swimmers from the Philippines, Indon

By Rica Velasco Veterinarians and assistants, Vet Mission organizers and volunteers after a successful second day The fifth Veterinary Mission Boracay was held from August 31 to September 3, capping four days of free veterinary care across the island and mainland Malay. The mission had a strong turnout this year, with a total of 1,259 animals treated and 608 spay-and-neuter surgeries performed, 72 more than last year. Treatments also included 512 anti-rabies vaccinations, 13

In their own words, longtime friends and colleagues remember the laughter, the “pangungulit,” the generosity, and the friend, mentor and force of nature behind the public figure. Compiled by Azenith Resurreccion and Freida Dario-Santiago These are just a few personal anecdotes from some of the many people whose lives she touched. Nenette’s circle was vast, spanning different facets of island life. Through these memories, we hope to capture a glimpse of the remarkable woman, t