Mariejo Ramos

Home to several endemic species like the endangered Philippine pangolin, the province of Palawan has faced threats to its biodiversity for decades from illegal wildlife trafficking to deforestation.

Now the island's forests and communities are vulnerable to mining for its nickel, with the Philippines ramping up operations to meet global demand for metals and minerals to support the green energy transition.

Before helping fellow gamblers quit the roulette wheel or forgo the glory of a Royal Flush, Filipino Reagan Praferosa fought his own addiction - a passion that almost cost him his life.

Enthralled by the “big-shot identity” that came with early casino victories in Las Vegas and later in Manila, Praferosa went on to lose 50 million pesos ($873,515) in seven years.

As 27 million Filipino students returned to school in June, teachers' groups said classrooms remain ill-equipped to withstand climate disasters and prevent learning loss due to insufficient funding for education.

Over the past decade, the government had adjusted school calendars to avoid typhoon season, which typically begins in June. After heatwaves forced schools to shut down in the summer months of April and May, the government reverted to a June-to-March school calendar this year to avoid the peak heat index.

The Philippines has touted aquaculture for decades to secure food as wild fisheries stocks decline, but the vast coastline farms have themselves been a significant driver of mangrove loss and degradation.

Jurgenne Primavera, an internationally recognised marine scientist from the Zoological Society of London, worked in aquaculture development until she discovered its impact on mangroves and moved into conservation in the 1970s.

Despite being seen as one of Asia's most LGBTQ+ friendly countries, the Philippines does not have a national law that could address the discrimination and legal challenges queer Filipinos face.

Religious groups and conservative lawmakers have for years fiercely opposed attempts to pass a law that would provide fair and equal access to basic social services, opportunities, healthcare, protection and justice to the LGBTQ+ community.

Impoverished fishing communities in the Philippines are caught in a David-and-Goliath fight with industrial fishing companies after the country’s top court loosened restrictions on commercial operations in protected coastal waters.

Already facing threats from extreme weather and urban development that have destroyed fish breeding grounds, fishers fear they may now have to compete with large vessels in municipal waters, the 15-km (9 mile) stretch of sea off the coastlines of cities.

At a tense meeting in Nigeria's capital Abuja, health workers poured over drug registers and testing records to gauge whether U.S. aid cuts would unravel years of painstaking work against tuberculosis in one of Africa's hardest hit countries.

For several days in May, they brainstormed ways to limit the fallout from a halt to U.S. funding for the TB Local Network (TB LON), which delivers screening, diagnosis and treatment.

Often battered by typhoons and floods, protecting the coastline is a priority for the sugar-producing Philippines province of Negros Occidental.

But instead of man-made defences, local leaders have turned to reviving natural barriers with 100-metre-wide strips of vegetation, including coastal mangroves and beach forest species to counter erosion and protect from storms.

A draft law in the Philippines could be the first step towards recognising same-sex partnerships, signalling a major shift in a country where Congress has rejected proposals against the discrimination of LGBTQ+ people for a quarter-century.

Party-list representative Percival Cendaña filed a measure in November last year to protect LGBTQ+ couples from stigma and discrimination in health settings.

When former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in March for crimes against humanity, social media was soon awash with messages of love and support.

U.S. President Donald Trump was quick to offer his backing.