As the Philippines sees millions of tourists every year, it’s inevitable that there would be some travelers who ended up getting stranded in the country as the government ordered a community quarantine to safeguard public health and curb the spread of COVID-19. Interestingly, some foreign nationals who chose to stick by the country, have since expressed how they have been charmed by everything it has to offer.

In less than two months since its launch, GrabMart, from Southeast Asia's top everyday app, Grab, has expanded its pool of merchant-partners by nine-fold, now serving customers with over 150 outlets, done in partnership with leading supermarkets, convenience stores, and specialty stores in Metro Manila. With this announcement, the service has officially widened its reach now to all 17 cities.

FRONTLINE, an investigative documentary series from PBS has acquired Filipino-American director Ramona Diaz's A Thousand Cuts, that boldly zooms in on democracy and press freedom in the Philippines under the authoritarian reign of President Rodrigo Duterte, will be streaming for free for 24 hours in the Philippines, starting on June 12, Independence Day.

After announcing a robust film slate this June, streaming service, Netflix, has since announced that it will stream On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets starting July 5 in the Philippines. Netflix is continuing to build a home for uniquely told Filipino stories with the film from Viva Communications, joining other recently announced titles like Pinoy Sunday, Sunod, Lola Igna, Untrue, and Ordinary People (Pamilya Ordinaryo).

Four years after the release of "Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis", on Independence Day, with the country's democracy in peril, revisiting the film's rich tapestry of interconnected narratives on the Philippine revolution is important as it is relevant now, more than ever as one of the film's producers, Ten17p has announced that all eight hours of the film will be available for streaming for free on YouTube until June 14, 2020.

From intimate acoustic sessions with Camila Cabello featuring new renditions of her hit music to two-time Grand Slam™ winner Naomi Osaka serving up a family favorite recipe to a question and answer session hosted by rugby legend Bryan Habana, Mastercard has forged meaningful partnerships with its global ambassadors to craft and bring unique experiences for at-home enjoyment.

After a much-raved unveiling, mobile services provider Smart continues to bring South Korean superstar Hyun Bin closer to his legions of Filipino fans with the launch of a new promo featuring not only an exclusive merchandise and bonus data for subscribers.

In a recent report by top media and creative agency, Havas Ortega Group, “Love in the Quarantine Age,” Filipinos shared that they still believe love can last forever.

Actor, singer, Inigo Pascual believes that love comes in the right place, in the right time in his freshly released single “Balang Araw." Produced under Star Music, the song is the young artist's love letter on hope and trust.

Spotify, today, unveils Unlike Any Other – a global Pride campaign celebrating LGBTQIA+ creators and connecting them to fans around the world. Unlike Any Other focuses on empowering LGBTQIA+ creators by encouraging them to embrace their uniqueness that will then lead to connecting to new and existing audiences through the power of music and podcasts.

Japanese global apparel retail brand, UNIQLO, in a recent announcement, is set to launch its E-commerce platform to the local market in the second half of 2020--slated to be available both in the UNIQLO website and mobile application.

Even as the country move towards easing restrictions, safety under these changing and challenging times is of utmost importance. While the distance remains, here are some date night ideas, data and internet capability allowing, to help you #StayCloserApart.

RedDoorz’s “HygienePass” will be in collaboration with a public health expert and targets all of RedDoorz Philippines’ 250 hotels across the country to be certified. This certification programme aims to establish an industry-wide standard of cleanliness to tackle the realities of COVID-19 at a hotel level.

In the face of the new normal, doing good has gone more digital. In the time of uncertainty and anxiety brought by the global pandemic, people have been showing their support for the country’s health workers by using social media to raise funds for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as face masks, face shields and hazmat suits.

Celebrating its 8th anniversary, Grab Philippines is helping Filipinos foster a sense of normalcy among its users to experience the things they miss the most and fulfilling the things they missed out on while on lockdown through the Sagot Kita campaign running from June 8 to July 11.

Mobile tech provider OPPO ushers in the month with great deals, games, and prizes with the brand's weekly digital show, ShOPPO Livestream, through Facebook.