Teka Teka

For nearly five decades, Elmer Cordero drove a jeepney. In his later years, Tatay Elmer became a transport advocate who fought for the rights of ordinary Filipinos despite his age and declining health. He died at 78 years old, days after suffering a heart attack during a transport strike.

In this episode, we remember Tatay Elmer through the young activists he guided, the journalists who covered his struggles, and the comrades inspired by his lifelong commitment to the movement.

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In the third episode of our mini-series “Exporting Dreams,” researcher Eunice Tejada explains how migration aspirations are shaped not just by money, but by dreams of better opportunities, education, lifestyle and quality of life, and what might make young Filipinos choose to stay or return.

You're invited to MAKI+Fiesta: A Media Festival Celebrating Free Expression, Democracy, and the Creative Economy. Register for this FREE event through this link.

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Mary Jane Veloso’s release after years of imprisonment marks a hard-won victory for her family and the advocates who fought for her freedom. In this episode of Teka Teka, we look at how Mary Jane’s case exposes the vulnerabilities of Filipino migrant workers to trafficking and exploitation, the importance of collective action, and the government’s responsibility to protect workers abroad and support them when they return home.

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Hindi biro ang pagkakaroon ng regla. Bukod sa masakit ito sa katawan, mabigat din ito sa bulsa. Ano nga ba ang ekonomiya ng regla? At paano ba tugunan ang pangangailangan na ito, lalo na kung mahirap ang akses sa tubig, kuryente, at iba pa?

Ang episode na ito ay nabuo sa tulong ng Patas na Bukas Media Fellowship ng Oxfam Pilipinas.

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What does the Philippine national budget tell us about what the government chooses to prioritize?

Public finance specialist Zy-za Nadine Suzara breaks down the proposed 2027 national budget, from shrinking fiscal space and ayuda programs to gender and development spending and unpaid care work, and looks at the budget through a feminist economic lens.

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Philippines supports this episode of Teka Teka as part of its work to strengthen democracy and promote social justice through partnerships with civil society, trade unions, youth movements, and other democratic actors. Guided by the values of social...

For many Filipino families, migration means years of separation. But what happens when families finally reunite? In the second episode of our mini-series “Exporting Dreams,” Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio, author of the novel Reuniting with Strangers, shares what she has learned from working with Filipino youth and families in Canada, where a large Filipino community has created new spaces for connection, support, and belonging.

To order Jennilee’s book, go to her website.

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Almost a year after Typhoon Tino left at least 269 dead, Cebuanos still brace themselves for disaster whenever heavy rain falls. And just this month, a landslide in Barangay Pulangbato, Cebu City killed three people. Floods have become more frequent, even without a typhoon.

In this episode of Teka Teka, journalist Maverick Avila talks to three women from one family fighting on different fronts. Atty. Golly Estenzo Ramos, the environmental lawyer who helped stop offshore drilling in Tañon Strait, explains what the law already guarantees and how communities can use it. Dr. Emma Estenzo Porio, professor e...

As Canada and the Philippines strengthen labor ties, Wilma Delo, a caregiver and activist in Canada, says protecting workers abroad must go hand in hand with creating decent jobs at home.

In the first episode of our mini-series “Exporting Dreams,” she talks about the challenges Filipino caregivers face, from low wages and job insecurity to workplace protections and the fear of speaking out.

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The Ifugao Rice Terraces are more than breathtaking landscapes. They are living monuments of human ingenuity, hand-carved over 2,000 years ago. Declared as a National Treasure, these terraces embody the deep bond between culture and nature. Yet today, the “Eighth Wonder of the World” faces urgent threats: climate change, deforestation, and failing irrigation systems. Farming, once a proud heritage, has also become a struggle to sustain.

Ifugao Governor Jerry Dalipog shares how the terraces remain at the heart of the Ifugao identity, while Polish Author Maciej Podhjski shares his mission to save the national treasure by writing a bo...

The Moros are Muslim natives of southern Philippines now enjoying their hard-fought autonomy through the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). But there are also non-Moro indigenous peoples (IP) in the region, as independent journalist Buena Bernal discusses with IP rights advocate Ice Baguilat in this episode.

This is the third episode in Teka Teka’s four-part mini series on BARMM, following its historic first parliamentary elections

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Can we separate the art from the artist?

In this episode of Thought Bubbles on Teka Teka, host Bubbles Magpayo talks to magazine editor and reader Celine Dabao about Filipino literature, the Manila International Book Fair, and the complicated question of supporting problematic authors. From the Exploding Galaxies controversy to literary clout, accountability, and meaningful support for Filipino writers, they ask: When an author’s work matters to us, where do we draw the line between loving the literature and standing by our values?

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Ahead of his return to Manila, ESPN’s NBA insider Brian Windhorst sat down with PumaPodcast to talk about Filipinos’ love for basketball, as well as the most compelling storylines for the upcoming NBA season: the new-look Los Angeles Lakers, Lebron James’ move to Philadelphia, the world champion New York Knicks, and the young superstar Victor Wembanyama.

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A decade after Rodrigo Duterte launched his war on drugs, the Philippines is still grappling with its legacy of violence, fear and impunity. Inspired by the 2018 killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, Silenced Nights had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Screenwriter Troy Espiritu talks about telling the story through the eyes of a witness, the ethics of dramatizing real killings, and his own reckoning as someone who voted for Duterte in 2016.

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This is the second episode in Teka Teka’s four-part mini series on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, following its historic first parliamentary elections

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In this episode, we invited Sesille Nava and her husband Itch, a vasectomized man, to talk about navigating married life post-vasectomy. How do they handle the misconceptions about sex, manhood, and parenthood? How did it affect their relationship? And how would they encourage others to take the path to a spermless future?

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In 1977, after publishing "The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos", Primitivo Mijares went missing while his youngest son Boyet was kidnapped and brutally murdered. Mrs. Priscilla Mijares wrote in her affidavit, "Information reaching my family were to the effect that during the torture of my son, the father was made to appear by torturers to witness his son's agony."

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The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM held its first parliamentary elections this week. In an interview with Georgi Engelbrecht, senior analyst on the Philippines for the International Crisis Group, independent journalist Buena Bernal looks at the political parties who took part in the process, examines who they represent, and asks about what a future could look like under this new leadership.

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Apart from parents, who are the other adults who need to keep children safe from harm online? And how can we start conversations with children about digital literacy?

These are the questions independent journalist Nica Hanopol seeks answers to in the second episode of our mini-series on children’s rights in the digital age. Family life and child development experts Keisha Constantino and Edgar Belda Jr. return to explain the role teachers, policymakers, and Big Tech executives play in creating safer digital spaces for the youth. 

Keisha proposes expanding digital literacy to include “struc...

The Philippines is betting on renewable energy, critical minerals, and high-tech industries like AI and semiconductors. But much of the land and resources needed for this transition overlap with Indigenous territories. As the proposed Pax Silica industrial hub in Tarlac faces resistance from Aeta leaders, what does a truly “just” energy transition look like, and can the Philippines avoid repeating its extractive past?

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The impact of violent content on Filipino kids has become a national conversation. At the same time, online sexual abuse or exploitation of children (OSAEC) is becoming widespread. 

Lawmakers are calling for tighter restrictions on social media and other digital platforms. But can an outright ban protect our youth from the most dangerous corners of the internet? What does it take to make the internet safer for one of the most vulnerable groups in our society, anyway? 

Independent journalist Nica Hanopol speaks with two early childhood development experts, Keisha Constantino and Edgar Bel...

Sa nakaraang SONA ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., ipinanukala niya ang pag-alis ng system loss charges mula sa ating mga binabayaran sa kuryente. Ngunit ano nga ba ang system loss? 

Sa episode na ito ng Teka Teka, hinimay ni Atty. Monalisa Dimalanta, senior advisor on energy literacy and energy democracy ng Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, at ni Jhesset Enano, isang climate and environment journalist, kung ano ang system loss at system loss charges upang mas maintindihan natin kung ano ang maaaring epekto ng pag-alis nito sa ating mga power bill. Ito na ba ang s...

We are all equal in a democracy. Or at least, we should be. But the rich enjoy more privileges than the rest of us. How can a wealth tax make sure that everyone lives with dignity? Aren’t we punishing those who work hard by proposing its imposition? What does the Constitution say about it, anyway? Will our lawmakers even support this policy? And how is it a means to prevent corruption? Political scientist Cleve Arguelles answers these questions and more in this episode of Teka Teka. 

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Philippines supports this episode of Teka Teka as...

A year after President Marcos exposed corruption in flood control projects, the rains are still falling, and so are the questions. PCIJ investigative journalist Gwen Latoza joins Teka Teka to unpack what a year of hearings, leaks, and budget digging actually revealed, and why accountability still hasn't reached the top. Read Gwen’s stories through the following links:

LINKS TO PCIJ REPORTS:

Allocables are the new pork

Unprogrammed funds

One year after the flood control speech

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Eight years after Filipino migrant fisher Sam Dela Cruz died aboard a foreign fishing vessel, his family is still waiting for answers—and for his remains to come home. This episode examines what has changed since his death, what hasn't, and why thousands of Filipino fishers continue to face exploitation far from home.

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The squid on our plates may have come at a devastating human cost. A new investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation, based on five years of research and more than 430 interviews with Filipino and Indonesian fishers, uncovers widespread forced labour, wage theft, violence, illegal fishing, and even deaths aboard distant-water squid vessels. Many of the workers are Filipinos, recruited with promises of steady jobs only to find themselves trapped at sea for months, or even years, with little chance of escape.

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Tuberculosis remains one of the Philippines’ deadliest public health challenges, with the country now ranking third globally in TB burden. Philippine Tuberculosis Society (PTSI), founded in 1910, has been on the frontlines for over a century evolving from isolation care at the historic Quezon Institute to today’s decentralized network of clinics.

Former Health secretary Dr. Paulyn Ubial, who is now PTSI’s executive director, explains how TB spreads, why stigma and fear remain barriers to treatment, and how their strategy is reshaping the fight against TB. Their goal is clear: to eliminate TB in the Philippines by 203...

A necessary tool for social order. This was how affected residents viewed tokhang, according to Dr. Marco Garrido, an associate professor of Sociology from the University of Chicago. His ethnographic work reveals that in high-density, impoverished neighborhoods, the disruption caused by drugs was seen as a collective threat, derailing their very survival. More about his study—which argues that the poor’s support for the drug war was not a result of ignorance, but a rational, complex trade-off between human rights and the urgent desire for neighborhood security—in this episode of Teka Teka.

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Scientists monitoring Bais Bay in Tañon Strait say the damage caused by a toxic wastewater spill in an ethanol distillery has evolved into something even more dangerous: a slow-moving ecological crisis that threatens corals, fisheries, and livelihoods. This episode examines why the spill continues, the gaps in environmental enforcement, and what must happen now to prevent irreversible damage to the country's largest marine protected area.

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We’ve been seeing, reading and hearing it all over the news: a so-called “Super” El Niño is here. How will this climate event affect the Philippines, a country that is highly exposed to weather and climate hazards?

In this episode of Teka Teka, climate and environment journalist Jhesset Enano speaks with 

meteorologist and climate scientist Rafaela Jane Delfino on this global climate pattern, unpacking complex terms and jargon to help Filipinos better prepare for the looming El Niño conditions. Is it accurate to call it ‘super,’ or even ‘Godzilla’ El Niño? Who are the mos...

In this episode of Teka Teka, we explore periods: the physical and social costs of having them; what organizations and the government are doing to improve the experience for young Filipinas; and why we as a society, seem to shy away from conversations about this normal, everyday occurrence.

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In “Pictures that matter,” a special mini-series to commemorate the tenth year of the drug war, we talk to media workers who covered one of the bloodiest terms in modern Philippine history and ask them to tell the stories behind the troubling—and powerful—images splashed on our screens and newspapers. What kind of mark did this period leave on these journalists, and how have they made sense of what happened? This final episode features award-winning photojournalist Eloisa Lopez.

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Democracies are grappling with a new threat supercharged by AI. 

Reporting from Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany, independent journalist Nica Hanopol unpacks the rise of “malicious AI swarms.”  They are opaque, personalised, and cross-platform, making it harder to detect. In this episode, she explores how these networks could fabricate consensus during elections and undermine people’s right to form their own opinions free from interference. 

It features insights from UN OHCHR Digital Technologies and Human Rights Chief Wafa Ben-Hassine; SINTEF Digital Researcher Daniel Schroeder; Monash Data and Democracy Research Hub Co-Direct...

In “Pictures that matter,” a special mini-series to commemorate the tenth year of the drug war, we talk to media workers who covered one of the bloodiest terms in modern Philippine history and ask them to tell the stories behind the troubling—and powerful—images splashed on our screens and newspapers. What kind of mark did this period leave on these journalists, and how have they made sense of what happened? This episode features veteran producer Rica Concepcion.

For more of this story, read “They are slaughtering us like animals” by Daniel Berehulak, who won a Pulitzer Pri...

Ten years after the landmark Hague ruling rejected China's sweeping claims in the West Philippine Sea, what has actually changed for the Filipinos whose livelihoods depend on these waters? While governments cite a historic legal victory, fishermen continue to face harassment, water cannons, and shrinking catches. In this episode, Teka Teka speaks with PAMALAKAYA chairperson Fernando "Andy" Hicap about what the arbitral ruling means beyond diplomacy, and why, for many fishing communities, the battle is far from over.

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In “Pictures That Matter,” a special mini-series to commemorate the tenth year of the drug war, we talk to media workers who covered one of the bloodiest terms in modern Philippine history and ask them to tell the stories behind the troubling—and powerful—images splashed on our screens and newspapers. What kind of mark did this period leave on these journalists, and how have they made sense of what happened? This episode features Maro B. Enriquez, a freelance journalist whose work in TV during that period frequently brought her to crime scenes around Metro Manila. 

The Department of Health has already confirmed one death directly linked to vaping. What begins as a habit particularly among the youth often escalates into addiction and serious health consequences, with doctors uncovering shocking cases of lung damage linked to e‑cigarettes. These experiences highlight the urgent call from health advocates to confront the reality that vaping is not the “safer” alternative it is advertised to be.

The DOH and public health think tank HealthJustice Philippines are pushing for a total ban on vapes, saying weak regulations have fueled a growing crisis. They add that with eight...

In “Pictures that matter,” a special mini-series to commemorate the tenth year of the drug war, we talk to media workers who covered one of the bloodiest terms in modern Philippine history and ask them to tell the stories behind the troubling—and powerful—images splashed on our screens and newspapers. What kind of mark did this period leave on these journalists, and how have they made sense of what happened? This episode features photojournalist Alecs Ongcal.

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Ten years after the launch of the Philippines' war on drugs, the fight for accountability continues. In this episode, we unpack the ICC's role in investigating alleged crimes against humanity and hear a mother's powerful story of loss, hope, and the long road to justice.

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In “Pictures that matter,” a special mini-series to commemorate the tenth year of the drug war, we talk to media workers who covered one of the bloodiest terms in modern Philippine history and ask them to tell the stories behind the troubling—and powerful—images splashed on our screens and newspapers. What kind of mark did this period leave on these journalists, and how have they made sense of what happened? This episode features Juan Carlo de Vela, a Cebu-based photojournalist who has worked for various publications there and in Manila. 

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For Filipinos, the month of June offers a dual celebration: Pride Month and the Philippine Environment Month. But how do we live with pride and acceptance in the face of a planetary emergency?

In this episode of Teka Teka, climate and environment journalist Jhesset Enano speaks with queer climate activist Jefferson Estela on the intersections of queer justice and climate justice. They unpack the lived experiences of the Filipino LGBTQIA+ community amid the climate crisis, the wins in queer visibility and recognition in the climate space, and the persisting struggle for pride and the planet.