“As Christmas is about the heavens opening so the Son of God could come to us, so it is also about us opening our hearts and arms to welcome Jesus in the hungry, thirsty, homeless, the naked, the sick, the prisoners, and those who have hurt us.” 

These were the words of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle as Filipinos celebrate Christmas on Friday, December 25. Tagle issued this Christmas message as the Catholic Church marks its Jubilee Year of Mercy from December 8 this year until November 20, 2016. 

Read more on Rappler.

The results of the 4th quarter SWS survey released on Thursday, December 24, showed that 72% of adult respondents are expecting a happy Christmas – 1 point higher than the 71% of 2014.

The number of people expecting a happy Christmas rose in most areas, according to SWS. In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the survey results may serve as reminder to all Filipinos in 2016.

Read more on Rappler.

Simbang Gabi. Noche Buena. Family reunions. The typical Christmas for many Filipinos – but not for all. Children of overseas Filipino workers spend many Christmases without their parents, who are forced by circumstance to toil in distant countries just to provide for their families back home.

How are the holidays like for these kids who live far away from their OFW parents? Watch this Rappler Christmas special.

The latest pre-election survey results from Pulse Asia show Vice President Jejomar Binay as the top presidential aspirant for 2016. According to the survey conducted December 4-11, Binay’s numbers rose by 14 percentage points to 33% – a significant jump from the last survey’s 19%.

What did Binay do between the two survey periods of December 4-11 and September 8-14? Follow Binay’s trail here.

Veteran journalist Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, editor in chief of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), is dead, the newspaper announced late Thursday night, December 24. “The country has lost a bedrock of journalism,” the paper said in its statement. 

Magsanoc’s career spans several decades, starting in the late 1960s, when she started working for the Manila Bulletin. She became editor of the Philippine Panorama (1976-1981), Mr & Ms Special Edition (1983-1986), the Sunday Inquirer Magazine (1986-1987), and then the Inquirer.

Read more about her life and career on Rappler.

It was a subdued Christmas Eve in Paris on Thursday, December 24, with tourist numbers down, security bolstered at shops and churches, and locals still on edge after last month’s jihadist attacks. 

It is not only France that is feeling the tension this festive season. Christians around the world are bracing for potential attacks at a symbolic time of year – even in China where the US and British embassies warned of possible violence against Westerners in Beijing. But the worst blow has been on Paris.

Agence France-Presse reports.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said on Thursday, December 24 that it has awarded the long-term maintenance contract of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) to a Korean-Filipino joint venture. 

The winning concessionaire, Busan Transportation Corporation, Edison Development & Construction, Tramat Mercantile, Incorporated, TMICorp Incorporated, and Castan Corporation, will fulfill the general maintenance requirements of MRT3 for 3 years, beginning Tuesday, January 5

Read more on Rappler.

This Christmas, we throw back to the laughter. As we gather around dinner tables and offer sheepish smiles to interfering aunts, Rappler brings you the gift of laughter. Remember the bee who forgot the chicken. Look out for the debonair president and the equally dapper prime minister. Join us again on the two-minute trip from Columbia to the Philippians and back to the pageant that broke the universe.

Read more on Rappler.

Ron Jacobs, the American basketball coach who introduced new tactics to Philippine basketball during the 80s and 90s, has died at age 72, according to media reports. No official cause of death has been reported, but Jacobs had been left unable to walk or speak following a stroke in 2001.

Read more on Rappler.

“Fate has a plan for you, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead.” These were the words newly-crowned Miss Universe, Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, had for Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, days after the coronation night fiasco that saw a mix-up in the announcement of winners. 

“To Ariadna, you are an amazing woman and we are now bonded together forever by a unique experience… I saw how strong and beautiful you are inside and out,” Pia wrote on an Instagram post. Her message comes after Ariadna congratulated her for her win. Pia also asked fans: “And to all the fans who are still fighting about this… Please let’s all stop now.”

Read more on Rappler.