Pinoy Pride You May Have Missed: Filipinos Making Waves Around the World

When Pixar released Coco, the team of animators was led by Gini Cruz Santos. Rappler reports that she was the studio's first female supervising animator. She was born in Manila, moved to Guam at age three, then studied advertising arts at the University of Santo Tomas. Her Pixar credits include Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo and Ratatouille.

Filipino-American story artist Bobby Rubio, who was born and raised in San Diego, wrote and directed the Pixar short Float. Philstar reported in 2019 that it featured Pixar's first all-CGI Filipino lead characters.

The James Beard Awards are often called the "Oscars of food" in the United States, and Filipino chefs have won them.

Rappler reported that Tom Cunanan, who was born in Olongapo City and moved to the US at age three, won Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2019 for his Washington, DC restaurant Bad Saint. In 2024, Filipino-American chef Lord Maynard Llera won Best Chef: California. According to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, his Los Angeles restaurant Kuya Lord serves dishes from his hometown in Quezon Province.

The Philippines was also named one of the world's most exciting food destinations for 2026 by the MICHELIN Guide, as reported by DZRH, so Filipino food seems to be having its moment.

Dr. Marvin Flores, an assistant professor at the National Institute of Physics at UP Diliman, leads the Philippine group in the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN, according to GMA News. The collaboration shared a Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2025 with three other experiments at the Large Hadron Collider.

In 2026, six Filipino scientists were named to the Asian Scientist 100 list, as reported by Philstar. They include Dr. Mary Donnabelle Balela, honored for developing kapok-based booms to help contain marine oil spills, and Dr. Garry Benico, who described new species of marine dinoflagellates from Philippine waters, according to the Daily Tribune.

Young inventor Jeremy de Leon, a Mapúa University graduate, created the Make-roscope, a portable keychain microscope for smartphones. Manila Bulletin reports that more than 12,000 units have been distributed to schools with support from the Department of Science and Technology.

At the 32nd Actor Awards in March 2026, Asian Journal reports that Isa Briones, Amielynn Abellera and Kristin Villanueva were part of the cast of The Pitt, which won the award for outstanding ensemble in a drama series. Hailee Steinfeld, whose maternal grandfather was Filipino, was in the cast of Sinners, which won for outstanding cast in a motion picture.

Los Angeles-based Filipina artist and curator Kim Cruz was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2026, GMA News reported. In 2023 she founded the Kalma Art Foundation, which runs art workshops in remote areas of the Philippines.

Michael Cinco is a Dubai-based fashion designer. In 2021, the Philippine Consulate in Dubai gave him the Dakilang Bayani Award, its highest annual honor for Filipinos in the UAE, according to Gulf News.

Cebu has its own global achievers too.

Carlo Delantar, a young Cebuano social entrepreneur, was chosen as the Philippines' only representative in the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders Class of 2026, a group of 118 leaders from 55 countries, SunStar reported.

Captain Rodien Paca, a native of Naga City, Cebu and a former international ship captain, was named to the 2025 "Who's Who in Global Maritime Leadership" and ranked third, according to The Freeman.

Dr. Kurt Buenconsejo, from Dalaguete in southern Cebu, was reported by The Freeman to be judging two major ballroom championships in the United States, as part of his work as an international dancesport adjudicator.

Filipinos succeed abroad in every field, from animation studios to physics labs. Their stories also remind us how much talent is growing right here at home, in Cebu's universities, kitchens and communities. If you know a Cebuano or Filipino making waves somewhere in the world, tell us. We would love to feature them.