No Room for Nonchalance in Fil-Am Visual Artist Chels Munger’s First Solo Exhibition, "Glass Houses"

 

Breakout 22-year-old visual artist  explores themes of loss, grief, remembrance, and reckoning in her first one-woman show at Gallery BIG.

Contrary to her Gen Z peers, Fil-Am visual artist Chels Munger feels life is too short and unpredictable for nonchalance and emotional detachment.

“We don’t know what’s gonna happen even next week, next month — let alone five years. I think if there’s something that you want to be said, there’s something that you want to do, there’s something you want to act on — especially creatively — I really feel like we should just go for it,” the young artist says.

Five years ago, life  looked different for then-17-year-old Chels, who lived in Valencia, California with her parents and her only brother, Seth. Then came some unwelcome turbulence that changed the shape of their family — and then, her mother Rachel’s unexpected cancer diagnosis. After a valiant, three-year battle, her mom passed away in 2024, leaving Chels, then 20, and her brother Seth, then 18, to redefine what their family and future would look like.

“These past five years have been a lot of just me and my brother, really clinging together, and I think it really taught me to just… speak my voice. It’s like, okay, there’s no going back now. It’s really just me. All of this relies on me. I need to do this for myself. And if this is how I’m feeling, I should express it, because I bet there’s someone out there who feels the same way.”

Grief mixed with oil on canvas

Chels Munger leaves no feeling unexpressed in Glass Houses. Each piece feels like oil, acrylic, or various tactile media mixed in with the involuntary tears, the unarticulated ache, the deep longing and grief — and the eventual self-reckoning — that came with her mother’s loss.

“The first piece was “Counting Sheep”— and that whole piece was really about anticipatory grief,” Chels recounts.

“My mom was going through her treatments, and things just kept getting worse, you know. So a lot of it was, I guess, just expressing those feelings. The way things were going in the U.S., too. — I was even afraid to lose my brother. I think all those fears and anxieties manifested into that piece.”

The work was so powerful and emotionally resonant, that when Chels posted about it, her maternal grandfather — multi-awarded Filipino visual artist Roy Veneracion — messaged her to say how much he liked her work, and asked if she was ready to show her piece in the Philippines.

What Chels thought was meant to be a one-piece contribution to a group show, turned out to be the seeds — “a push”, she describes it — for around  20 completed works and her first solo exhibition in the Philippines.

A next-generation artist comes into her own

Besides the death of her mother, diving into painting was the plot twist Chels did not see coming.

“I was always really stubborn,” she admits. “So I was like, oh, my grandpa is a painter, so I'm gonna do everything but paint.”

As hard as she tried, though, painting was the only art form that allowed Chels to release and, quite literally, handle her emotions.

“I got to a point where, emotionally, I couldn't strike exactly what I was feeling unless it was painting, and that's really where it came out,” Chels shares. “At our house in the U.S.,  every single wall is filled with [Roy Veneracion] paintings. Wow! So I really did grow up looking at his work at all times and constantly observing it, even if we didn't really get to paint together much. I definitely put a lot of those things kind of in the back of my head.”

As a debut exhibition, Glass Houses introduces the art public to Chels Munger’s unique style — informed by her influences and her lived experience, but decidedly and  boldly, her own. She writes in her artist statement: 

“Each piece’s surface consists of oil or acrylic paint, layered over with oil pastels, text cutouts, and tactile media. Text plays a central role in my process, leaving clues for narrative or meaning. Deeply inspired by music — especially the emotional complexity captured by Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke — my work toes the line between tension and tenderness, exploring recurring themes of family, relationship dynamics, regression, and growth.”

“In my process, I feel like a sculptor chiseling away at a rugged surface until I find the form underneath. I invite viewers to explore these vulnerable corridors and discover what they find. Everything is up to your own interpretation; take what sticks and toss the rest. The work does not ask you to understand it, but rather to better understand yourself."

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Glass Houses runs from October 1 to 25, 2026 at Gallery BIG, 4/F Main Wing of the Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City. 

For Opening Reception and Press Inquires: Email chelra.art@ninasnotebook.com and nathrondina@gmail.com.  

For Catalogue and Acquisition inquiries: Contact Gallery BIG on social media or call (+63 2) 8775.8888. You may also reach out directly to Gallery BIG sales staff: Megan (+63 977 8265943), Tess (+63 977 826 5989) or Darwin (+63 977 826 5980).

Growing appetite for poultry – Philippine market boosts production and imports

September is part of the rainy season in the Philippines, a time when pagkaing pang-ulan – warm, hearty dishes enjoyed on rainy days – are especially popular. Chicken features prominently in many of these dishes and has long been a familiar part of Filipino cuisine and a popular choice among consumers. But its importance extends far beyond seasonal menus. Chicken consumption in the Philippines continues to grow and, according to USDA forecasts, is expected to reach around 2.38 million tonnes in 2026. Rising demand is being met by increasing domestic production, complemented by imports, including supplies from the European Union.

Rising demand drives the poultry market

Growing chicken consumption in the Philippines is going hand in hand with higher domestic production. According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila, chicken consumption in the Philippines was estimated at 2.236 million tonnes in 2025, up from 2.060 million tonnes a year earlier – an increase of around 8.5%.

Figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority also point to clear growth in domestic production. In the fourth quarter of 2025, poultry production reached 858.36 thousand tonnes, up 8.9% year on year. Chicken, which accounted for 71.5% of total poultry production, increased by 9.4% over the same period.

A growing market draws on multiple sources of supply

Alongside rising domestic production, imports provide an additional source of supply for the Philippine market. According to the Bureau of Animal Industry, the Philippines imported 540.5 thousand tonnes of chicken meat in 2025, 14.47% more than a year earlier. EU countries are also among the Philippines’ international suppliers. European Commission data show that 67.3 thousand tonnes of poultry were exported from the EU to the Philippines in 2025, up from 41.3 thousand tonnes the previous year – an increase of more than 63%. 

Poland was the largest EU supplier, exporting 45.4 thousand tonnes of poultry to the Philippine market in 2025, accounting for more than two-thirds of total EU exports to the country. In the first half of 2026, Poland accounted for around 84% of EU poultry supplies to the Philippines.

“Rising poultry consumption in the Philippines creates opportunities both for the development of local production and for cooperation with international suppliers. For importers, processors and the foodservice sector, reliable supply, product quality and food safety are key considerations. The EU poultry sector has extensive experience in serving international markets and can meet these needs by offering products produced in line with the common standards that apply across the European Union,” says Dariusz Goszczyński, President of the National Poultry Council – Chamber of Commerce (KRD-IG) in Poland.

Common standards for EU poultry production

Poultry production in the European Union is subject to common regulations covering areas such as food safety, hygiene, animal health and welfare, and traceability. At the same time, well-developed production and logistics infrastructure makes it possible to supply distant markets, including the Philippines.

The principles of European poultry production are presented to Filipino consumers and industry representatives through the “European Poultry – From Our Farms to Your Tables” campaign, co-funded by the European Union. The campaign aims to raise awareness of production standards and the origin of European poultry products.

The New Luxury in Aesthetics Is Collagen: Why MOLD Urban Premier Is Leading With XERF

 

MOLD Urban Premier is redefining luxury aesthetics in Makati with XERF, placing collagen stimulation, subtle results, and long-term skin quality at the center of its approach to advanced aesthetic care.

The idea of luxury in aesthetics is evolving. For increasingly discerning clients, premium care is becoming less about dramatic transformation and more about skin quality, subtle results, and treatments chosen with the future in mind.

MOLD Urban Premier (MUP), an advanced aesthetics concept in Makati, is building its approach around this shift.

At the center of its treatment portfolio is XERF, a non-surgical radiofrequency technology designed to deliver energy at multiple depths to support collagen remodeling and address concerns such as skin laxity and facial definition.

The decision to lead with XERF reflects MUP’s philosophy: “Aesthetics, considered over time.”

Rather than treating aesthetics as a series of isolated procedures, MUP takes a longer-term approach through its Assess, Prioritize, Treat, Preserve, Review method. The goal is to identify what a client needs now while considering how each treatment fits into their overall aesthetic plan.

Collagen plays an important role in that approach. As natural collagen production declines with age, changes in firmness, elasticity, and skin structure become more noticeable. Technologies that support collagen remodeling offer another way to approach these concerns without relying solely on treatments that immediately add volume or significantly alter facial features.

For MUP, this represents a more considered definition of premium care: knowing what to treat, when to treat it, and when additional intervention may not be necessary.

XERF also reflects the type of result MUP intends to champion. Collagen remodeling develops progressively, making the technology suited to clients who prefer improvements that emerge over time rather than an immediately obvious change.

This is particularly relevant as aesthetic preferences continue to move toward results that preserve individual features and allow patients to look refreshed without appearing noticeably treated.

With XERF as its hero technology, MOLD Urban Premier is positioning collagen not simply as another aesthetic trend, but as part of a broader movement toward longevity-minded care.

At MUP, the new luxury is not necessarily more treatment. It is better-timed, better-considered treatment designed to preserve what already looks like you.

About Mold Urban Premier

MOLD Urban Premier (MUP) is an advanced aesthetics and skin longevity clinic in Makati and the newest branch of MOLD Manila. MUP combines carefully selected aesthetic technologies with individualized treatment planning focused on skin tightening, collagen support, skin quality, regenerative aesthetics, facial refinement, and long-term maintenance.

Alden Richards and Casino Plus Build on their Partnership

 

 Multi-awarded Filipino actor Alden Richards expands his partnership with Casino Plus, one of the country's leading responsible digital entertainment platforms licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), building on a relationship that began in 2024 and has grown through shared values, responsible entertainment, and positive social community impact initiatives.

First introduced as the platform's inaugural male brand ambassador in 2024, Richards has since become one of the faces of the brand's responsible entertainment and community engagement initiatives. The partnership continues to build on the strong relationship between Richards and Casino Plus over the years.

Reflecting on the partnership, the A-list Filipino actor said he is particularly excited about the company's growing focus on creating meaningful social impact through its corporate social responsibility efforts.

“We were able to create something beautiful out of more than highlighting the brand,” Richards shared. “Right now, we are working on CSR campaigns, and I strongly believe that deepening this aspect of our relationship is where real impact happens.”

One of these initiatives is Hero For All, a nationwide search that recognizes ordinary Filipinos whose selfless acts of kindness have made a meaningful difference in their communities. The program is spearheaded by Casino Plus in partnership with the AR Foundation.

“We are very excited to make the people see the candidates na na-finalize namin because they all have compelling stories. They all have a certain inspiration to share. We are very much surprised that there are individuals like them who have not been highlighted enough in our society. We tend to forget the goodness in people so Hero For All is a reminder for that,” he said in an interview with Casino Plus.

When discussing the criteria for the candidates shortlisted for the campaign, Alden stressed that heart and purpose come first: “What we really look for is intention more than the impact. We want to give people inspiration. Kindness and goodness, may it be big or small, can go a long way.”

Beyond championing inspiring stories, Richards also underscored the importance of making responsible choices. “We are in charge of our choices. Since we are here as a brand that reminds people to be responsible in their choices and to avoid abuse of any opportunities or practices, we will keep on pushing for that. Anything that is enjoyed in excess is bad,” he added.

“When you look at a partnership that spans years, the results speak for themselves, but the foundation is built on character,” stated Casino Plus Head of Branding Roj Tirona. “His warmth, his authenticity, and the way people light up around him represent fun in its most genuine form—and that is exactly why he is the right face for Casino Plus.”

Tirona also expressed his gratitude to Richards for his continued trust and partnership, saying the company looks forward to launching more meaningful campaigns together in the future.

RESPONSIBLE GAMING ADVISORY

In accordance with PAGCOR’s Responsible Gaming Code of Practice, Casino Plus wishes to remind all players of the following:

Gaming is for entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered a source of income or a means of financial relief. Players are encouraged to play responsibly and within their means.

Winning is never guaranteed. All gaming outcomes are determined by chance. Past results, including jackpot wins, do not influence or predict future outcomes.

About IGO Digital High Technology, Inc.

Casino Plus is a trusted online casino platform in the Philippines, duly licensed and regulated by the PAGCOR. The company is committed to providing a secure, fair, and engaging digital entertainment experience, guided by the principles of responsible gaming and player protection. With its continuous expansion, Casino Plus is now regarded as one of the country’s leading online casino platforms, combining entertainment excellence with meaningful corporate social responsibility initiatives.