An elderly woman sits next to shanties as a Philippine Airlines (PAL) plane flies over a slum area in Paranaque city, Metro Manila, Philippines, 06 March 2025. According to the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), poverty rate dropped to 15.5 percent in 2024 from 18.1 percent in 2021, with 17.54 million people living below the poverty line, a decrease of 2.4 million from the previous survey two years earlier. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA)

Filipinos wade through floodwaters along a road in Manila, Philippines, 22 August 2025. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on 22 August raised its alert level and warned residents of flooding in low-lying areas and landslides in mountainous communities brought by a storm. The government weather bureau said a Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal Number 01 is raised over 17 areas due to Tropical Depression “Isang”, which made landfall over the Aurora province. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA)

Pope Francis passes past a portrait of himself as he arrives to meet youths in Santo Tomas University in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, January 18, 2015. Francis is in the Philippines on Sunday, the final full day of a weeklong trip that also took him to Sri Lanka. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo)

Survivors pass by two large boats after they were washed ashore by strong waves caused by Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban city, Leyte province central Philippines on Sunday, November 10, 2013. Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms on record, slammed into six central Philippine islands on Friday leaving a wide swath of destruction and hundreds of people dead. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

TV prosthetics artist Rene Abelardo tries on a sample of his prosthetic face mask, his latest creation as TV projects took a halt amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in San Pedro, Laguna, Philippines, June 17, 2020. (Photo by Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

A child poses for a photo inside a life-sized doll box after watching the “Barbie” film at the SM North Edsa in Quezon City on July 19, 2023. (Photo by Jam Sta Rosa/AFP Photo)

A pet dog reacts while wearing a “Voltes V” themed costume during a “Pawshion Show” to mark World Animal Day in Marikina City, Metro Manila, Philippines 04 October 2023. A village in Marikina enjoined owners and animal lovers to play dress-up with their pets and participate in a fashion-show themed activity to entertain the community on World Animal Day and mark the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals in the Roman Catholic religion. (Photo by Rolex Dela Pena/EPA)

A fisherman throws his net beside a half-submerged M/V Palawan Pearl after it collided with a Cyprus-flagged BKM 104 dredger in Manila bay, Philippines on Thursday, July 8, 2021. A Philippine cargo vessel and a Cyprus-flagged dredger collided in a Manila Bay anchorage area early Thursday, resulting in no injuries but causing the cargo vessel to list and lie half-submerged in the busy waters. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)