Indigenous Livelihood Push: Sen. Loren Legarda filed a bill to institutionalize the DA’s 4K Program, linking ICCs/IP farms (coffee, rice, ube, bananas, corn, bamboo) to market demand and buyers, with machinery, credit, crop insurance, and skills support. Water & Climate Readiness: Laguna Water said it’s stepping up monitoring and preventive maintenance to protect supply amid El Niño risks, including non-revenue water reduction. Intramuros Tourism Boom: Intramuros Esplanade already hit about 5.9M visitors in early July, with officials expecting 2026 to top last year’s full-year total as new and renovated sites shift it from “one-day” stop to destination. Plastic Pollution Reality Check: A multi-part look highlights the Philippines’ “low consumption, high leakage” plastic paradox—over half of plastic waste left unmanaged, often dumped or burned and ending up in waterways. Justice & Education: BuCor released 1,156 PDLs in a month to ease crowding; SC named San Beda College Alabang as Bar exam HQ/testing hub. Health & Safety: DOH reiterated school deworming with albendazole is generally safe after a death linked to infection; lawmakers also urged higher sin taxes to curb youth alcohol, vaping, and smoking. WPS Culture Clash: Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela rejected claims that WPS transparency is “wartime propaganda,” after China Daily’s racist “monkey” video sparked fresh backlash from lawmakers. Arts & Heritage: Hotdog’s legacy gets a new chapter with an Aug. 8 tribute concert; Baguio marks the 36th year of the 1990 quake with a new memorial focused on community resilience. Sports & Global Moves: Jaja Santiago (Sachi Minowa) signed with US’s San Francisco Signal in LOVB, while Grace Quintanilla’s Singapore Open Amateur run ended in a sudden-death loss.