Philippines

Help Wanted: The Philippines Needs More Exorcists

7:21pm July 30, 2015

by Simone Orendain

The Office of Exorcism reports a sharp increase in cases over the past decade — more than its five-man team can handle. Warning: It's a high-stress job. The priests believe the demons strike back.

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Books
Arts

Beyond The 'Sometimes Sentimental' Story Of Filipino Migrants

6:18pm June 21, 2015

by NPR Staff

Mia Alvar's new short story collection spans the globe — from Manila to New York to Manama, Bahrain — to offer a more complicated narrative of Filipino exiles, emigres and wanderers.

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Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso (center) of the Philippines, is escorted by Indonesian officers during a hearing to appeal her conviction on drug-smuggling charges in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in March. Veloso is one of three "Bali Nine" inmates who have been told t

World News

Indonesia Sets Executions For 2 'Bali Nine' Drug Smugglers

12:43pm April 29, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The two Australian leaders of the trafficking ring and several other smugglers have been informed that their execution by firing squad is imminent.

World News

China's Neighbors See Mischief In What's Happening At Disputed Reef

2:24pm April 09, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Satellite imagery of a coral atoll in the South China Sea shows the reef is growing. A U.S. military official likens Beijing's land reclamation to building a "great wall of sand."

Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives at Quirino Grandstand to celebrate his final Papal Mass in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday. In his homily, Francis warned about the Philippine government's

Record Turnout For Pope's Sunday Mass In Manila

8:08am January 18, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Francis concludes his four-day visit to the region's only predominately Catholic country advocating for the poor and warning against the government's "insidious" family planning program.

Wearing a yellow raincoat, Pope Francis gives a thumbs up to the faithful as he arrives in Tacloban, Philippines, on Saturday.

Storm Causes Pope To Cut Short Visit To Typhoon Hit Tacloban

6:10pm January 17, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Francis led a prayer in memory of the thousands killed in 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan — the strongest cyclone ever to make landfall.

Pope Francis holds a Virgin Mary statue as he arrives at the Mall of Asia arena in Manila, Philippines, on Friday. The pontiff has issued a strong statement supporting the church's teachings on artificial contraception.

Pope, On Visit To Philippines, Defends Catholic Ban On Contraception

11:01am January 16, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Francis, on the second day of his visit to the predominately Catholic nation, called for families to be "sanctuaries of respect for life."

Pope Francis waves to the faithful upon his arrival in Manila on Thursday.

World News

Tens Of Thousands Welcome Pope Francis In The Philippines

10:55am January 15, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

Security for the visit is intense, because the last two pontiffs to tour the country were targeted for assassination.

MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) traffic enforcers patrol a street on their Segway vehicles in a 2011 photo. During a visit by Pope Francis next week, they are being asked to wear adult diapers so they won't have to leave their posts.

When You Gotta Go: Manila Police Asked To Use Diapers During Pope's Visit

2:04pm January 08, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The city's "traffic enforcers" will be on duty for up to 24 hours at a stretch during the pontiff's visit, with no time to run to the toilet.

The rellenong manok at La Cocina de Tita Moning, a restaurant in Manila. Chef Suzette Montinola uses a traditional recipe from the 1930s that belonged to her grandmother.

World News

A History Lesson On The Philippines, Stuffed In A Christmas Chicken

1:41pm December 23, 2014

by Aurora Almendral

Rellenong manok is a deboned chicken filled with a jumble of ingredients. If it seems hard to pin down how this dish got all its fillings, it's because of the complexity of the Philippines' culture.