Philippines Gets Michelin Guide

The Philippines now has a Michelin Guide in circulation, with officials in Singapore using the 2026 Manila-and-Cebu edition to pitch Filipino food to travelers and diners abroad. (michelin.com) The Embassy of the Philippines in Singapore said it marked the launch of *The Michelin Guide 2026: Manila & Environs and Cebu* on April 22, 2026, during Filipino Food Month, known locally as *Buwan ng Kalutong Filipino*. (philippine-embassy.org.sg) Michelin had already unveiled its first-ever Philippines restaurant selection on October 30, 2025, at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Newport World Resorts. That first edition covered 108 establishments across Manila, nearby dining destinations, and Cebu. (michelin.com) Michelin said the debut selection included one restaurant with two Michelin Stars, eight with one star, 25 Bib Gourmand picks for good-value meals, and 74 Michelin Selected restaurants. One restaurant also received a Michelin Green Star for sustainability. (guide.michelin.com) The guide matters for the Philippines because Michelin only entered the market recently. In February 2024, Michelin said its inspectors had begun reviewing restaurants in Manila and Environs and Cebu for a 2026 debut. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s coverage area went beyond Metro Manila, extending to Pampanga, Tagaytay, and Cavite, alongside Cebu. That gave the first guide a wider map of Philippine dining than a city-only launch would have offered. (spot.ph) The embassy cast the new pocket guide as part of a broader state-backed food campaign. Filipino Food Month is celebrated every April under Proclamation No. 469, a 2018 order aimed at preserving and promoting Philippine culinary heritage. (philippine-embassy.org.sg; da.gov.ph) That campaign has multiple agencies behind it in 2026, including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Agriculture, and the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement. Their April events have promoted regional dishes, indigenous food traditions, and overseas outreach. (gmanetwork.com; da.gov.ph) For Michelin, the Philippines launch added another Southeast Asian destination to a guide that already shapes travel and restaurant rankings across the region. For Philippine officials, the Singapore event turned that guide into a tourism and cultural-diplomacy tool as April’s food celebrations continue. (michelin.com; philippine-embassy.org.sg)