9th World Wellness Weekend Breaks Records: 187 Nations Unite for Global Wellbeing

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

From sunrise yoga on the shores of Fiji to a sunset closing ceremony in Hawaii, the 9th World Wellness Weekend (WWW) unfolded across the globe from September 19–21, 2025, igniting a movement of unprecedented scale. With 187 countries participating and over 10,994 venues registered on wellmap.org, this year’s edition has gone down as the most ambitious celebration of wellness in history.

A Truly Global Celebration

The scope was staggering: 20,000+ free and inclusive wellness activities took place across 2,012 cities, reaching individuals in every time zone. From fitness classes and mindfulness workshops to beauty, hospitality, and tourism-led experiences, communities everywhere found ways to embody WWW’s rallying cry: “Wellness For ALL.”

The Top 10 participating countries included Spain, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, India, UK, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mexico—while Tokyo, São Paulo, Málaga, Roma, and Marbella emerged as the leading cities hosting the most events.

Wellness in Every Corner of the World

From townhalls to tourism boards, civic leaders embraced the challenge of uniting their communities through wellbeing. In Argentina, the Municipalidad de Tigre spearheaded large-scale programs; in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Banja Luka came alive with citywide activities; and across Italy, 116 cities turned Sport City Day into a nationwide festival of movement.

Even smaller municipalities—from Milis in Italy to Pombal in Portugal—demonstrated that no community is too small to spark a wave of wellness. In the United States, the Cleveland Tower in Ohio and Mineral Wells in Texas stood out as examples of how local initiatives can resonate with global impact.

Champions of Wellness

Corporate and hospitality giants also played a pivotal role. Marriott International once again topped the charts as the Most Active Hotel Group, with 185 hotels and resorts offering free inclusive sessions for guests and locals alike.

Meanwhile, Hose Master LLC, a Cleveland-based company, earned the title of Wellness Champion 2025 in Corporate Wellness. With 82.7% employee participation, its 500-strong workforce collectively completed 8,346 wellness activities, demonstrating that workplace wellbeing is not just a perk, but a cultural priority.

Digital Innovations Expanding Access

The upgraded wellmap.org, available in 17 languages, helped participants easily locate free wellness opportunities both indoors and outdoors. Meanwhile, World Wellness WebTV streamed live sessions to millions, bridging geographical gaps and ensuring inclusivity even for those unable to attend in person.

A Movement with Purpose

Founded in 2017, World Wellness Weekend is more than an annual event—it’s a non-profit mission aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3 (Good Health and Wellbeing for All) and the Global Wellness Institute’s Wellness Moonshot. With support from 50+ mayors, 60+ international federations, and 200+ volunteers worldwide, WWW continues to prove that wellness is not a luxury—it’s a universal right.

Jean-Guy de Gabriac, founder of the movement, emphasized the significance of this year’s milestone:

“World Wellness Weekend is growing stronger each year, showing that wellness is best when shared with family, friends, colleagues and underserved communities. This year’s record-breaking edition proves that people across cultures and continents are eager to make wellbeing a priority for themselves and those around them.”

Looking Ahead

As the world celebrates this historic edition, anticipation is already building for next year. The 10th World Wellness Weekend will be held from September 18–20, 2026, promising to expand the movement’s reach even further.

From 2017’s humble beginnings to today’s record-shattering global celebration, World Wellness Weekend continues to prove that when the world unites in the name of wellbeing, barriers fall, communities thrive, and hope shines brighter.

Letter to Vico Sotto

September 30, 2025

Hon. Vico Sotto

City Mayor

Pasig City Hall

Subject: Request for an Audience with the Honorable Mayor of Pasig

Dear Mayor Sotto,

With due respect and deep admiration for your unwavering commitment to integrity, transparency, and good governance, I humbly write to you to request the honor of a personal audience at your most convenient time.

For years, I have observed how your leadership has inspired not only the people of Pasig but also communities across our nation. You have redefined what public service can and should look like—anchored on accountability, compassion, and a genuine drive to serve without compromise. It is this very spirit that compels me to reach out, with the hope that I may present matters of pressing importance that directly affect both our local community and the greater good.

The issues I wish to raise are not merely administrative concerns, but deeply personal ones that strike at the heart of transparency, participation, and the equitable progress we aspire to see in our city. My intention is not to burden your already demanding schedule, but rather to contribute, in my own way, to the continuous pursuit of fairness, inclusivity, and sustainable development in Pasig.

Your time is immensely valuable, and I do not take this request lightly. Yet I firmly believe that a dialogue with you—no matter how brief—can open meaningful avenues for collaboration, and shed light on solutions that would benefit not only my immediate community but also the broader constituency we both care deeply about.

Mayor Vico, I respectfully appeal for your consideration of this request. Kindly let me know a schedule most suitable to you, and I will humbly adjust accordingly.

Thank you very much for your time, for your service, and for reminding us that in our city, hope remains alive because of leadership that listens.

With the highest regard,

Ross Flores Del Rosario

External Vice President, Green Party of the Philippines 

Trustee, Bayanihan Para Sa Kalikasan Movement 

Founder, Wazzup Pilipinas

Mobile/Viber/WhatsApp: 09473820042

Email: rossdelrosario@gmail.com 

Corruption Is Also Personal: When Power Protects the Corrupt, Who Protects the People?

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

Corruption is never abstract. It is not some faceless monster lurking in government halls—it is personal. The faces are familiar, the names too obvious, the excuses too predictable. Yet the cruel irony is this: those who are corrupt never see themselves as corrupt. They convince themselves they are merely “playing the game,” “protecting interests,” or “doing what’s necessary.”

But the public is no longer fooled.

Matapos ang galit, ang kasalukuyang yugto ng taumbayan ay ito: pagiging mapagmatyag. Sino ang malinis at sino ang marumi? Sino ang credible at sino ang incredible? Sino ang nagsasabi ng totoo at sino ang nagsisinungaling? Sino ang karapat-dapat sa public trust, at sino ang nararapat itapon sa basurahan ng kasaysayan?

Magalong’s Resignation: A Warning Bell

The public’s bullshit meter exploded anew when Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong resigned as adviser of the so-called Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

His words were cutting but clear:

“Combined with circumstances that already cast doubt on the independence of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, it has become clear that my continued service is no longer tenable.”

In short, Magalong does not believe the Commission is independent. His withdrawal is not just a personal decision—it is an indictment of a Marcos administration that promised transparency but now finds itself drowning in its own contradictions.

When even a decorated officer and respected mayor refuses to lend his credibility to a commission meant to clean up corruption, what does that say about its integrity?

The Web of Names

Flood Control projects, mysterious billions, shadowy contractors, and a long list of names now entangled: Bernardo, Discaya, Brice Hernandez, Tagalong, ICI itself, Martin Romualdez, Marcoleta, Revilla, Jinggoy.

And at the center of the storm? Whispers of the “master magician” of the budget, Congressman Zaldy Co—enabled, allegedly, by no less than House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the President’s cousin.

Suspicion spread like wildfire. Yet instead of firm action, what do we see? Congressional interpellations, repetitive questions, political theater—when in truth, as one lawyer sharply asked, “Kung seryoso talaga ang imbestigasyon, bakit wala pang search warrants? Bakit hindi pa nase-secure ang mga ebidensiya?”

Instead of action, we see hesitation. Instead of justice, we see protection.

The Question of Complicity

Why the hesitation? Why the delays? Why the endless speeches?

Is the administration pumping the brakes because too many allies might get burned? Because this scandal, opened like Pandora’s Box, may have released more demons than the President anticipated?

Remember: it was Marcos Jr. himself who lit the fuse. But now that the explosion has reached his own cousin and powerful allies, is he retreating?

If he closes the box now, the stench of corruption will only grow stronger. If he lets it remain open, the rot of systemic theft may consume not just his presidency but the very institutions that still pretend to uphold democracy.

A Nation’s Betrayal

And here’s the bitter truth: this is not just about Bulacan. Sources whisper of similar stories in Tarlac, Pampanga, and other provinces across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. For every contractor, there is a politician. For every ghost project, there is a ghost of justice left unfulfilled.

Yet the hearings drag on. Witnesses are discredited for technicalities—like botching the notarization of an affidavit. Seriously? A simple notarization, and it still collapses? If this is the quality of “truth-seeking” we get, then no wonder the guilty sleep soundly.

What Do We Teach the Next Generation?

As one Rappler editor asked, what do these spectacles teach the youth?

That lying pays—as long as you are never caught.

That even if caught, money and connections will still buy you freedom.

That honesty doesn’t matter. Hard work doesn’t count. What counts is cunning, deceit, and power.

This is the moral crisis corruption brings. It erodes not just budgets, but the soul of a nation.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Marcos administration owes the Filipino people more than half-hearted reforms and hollow words. It owes us a real investigation, ironclad cases filed in court, and systemic changes in how the budget is created and controlled.

Anything less is complicity. Anything less is betrayal.

Because corruption is not abstract. It is not distant. It is personal. And until this administration confronts the rot within its own circle, every promise of change remains a lie—paid for not by the corrupt, but by every Filipino robbed of a future.

Inspired from a Rappler editorial