Pipol

Profiles, interviews and human-interest stories focused on individuals. Columnists and their stories.

Portrait of Cebuano Rubik’s cube champion Leo Borromeo holding a cube, radiating quiet focus and Filipino pride

This Cebuano Teen Solves 400 Cubes a Day—and He’s One of the Fastest in the World

By Tatung Sarthou

July 4, 2025

Before each competition, Cebuano Rubik’s cube champion Leo Borromeo holds the cube in both hands. He exhales slowly. Feels the warmth in his fingers. The…

Portrait of Tim alongside screenshots of his @Timdrinkscoffee Instagram feed, showcasing Philippine specialty coffee storytelling and origin-based content.

Timdrinkscoffee: How Tim Is Brewing Philippine Specialty Coffee Culture

By Simpol

July 4, 2025

In a world chasing viral trends and 10-second dopamine hits, one feed makes you stop scrolling—and start breathing. No flashy text overlays. No latte art…

“Chef Ronald Villavelez at the open kitchen of Sialo, his Cebu-based fine dining restaurant reimagining heritage cuisine in Cebu.”

The Art of Becoming: Chef Ronald Villavelez and the Poetry of Cebuano Cuisine

By Tatung Sarthou

July 2, 2025

Chef Ronald Villavelez didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a chef. He wasn’t the type to hover over the family stove or daydream about restaurant…

Chef Don Angelo Colmenares plating one of his signature dishes in the open kitchen at Sauma Farm, Bar & Kitchen in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental.

Chef Don Angelo Colmenares’ Sauma Redefines Negrense Farm-to-Table Cuisine in Hinigaran, From the Soil to the Soul

By Tatung Sarthou

June 28, 2025

In the quiet town of Hinigaran, as guava wood smoke rises from a clay pot where pork simmers slowly, Chef Don Angelo Colmenares prepares dinner.…

Filipino Tablea Chocolate: How One Woman in Iloilo Is Reviving a Heritage Tradition

By Natalie U. Lim

June 28, 2025

Before I fell in love with tablea, I avoided chocolate like it was medicine. Growing up Tsinoy, I favored dikiam, kiamoy, and peanuts over anything…

Ramon “Chin-Chin” Uy Jr., a pioneer of the Negros organic farming movement and a champion of regenerative agriculture.

How Chin-Chin Uy Reimagined Farming and Sparked a Movement in Negros

By Tatung Sarthou

June 27, 2025

In the heart of the Negros organic farming movement, Ramon “Chin-Chin” Uy Jr. is rewriting the story of how food is grown in the Philippines.…

The Interior Perspective of Ivy Almario

By Tatung Sarthou

June 27, 2025

The late morning light spills into her space—part sanctuary, part sketchpad of a beautifully composed life. It’s the kind of calm, refined atmosphere that defines…

Walking the Soul of the City: Ivan Man Dy and 20 Years of Manila Heritage Walks

By Tatung Sarthou

June 26, 2025

For two decades, Ivan Man Dy’s Manila walking tours have helped Filipinos reclaim their identity—one historic street at a time. In the early 2000s, Ivan…