Episodes
Ep. 18: Philippines building ‘wall’ vs COVID-19
In this podcast, Dominican Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, a molecular biologist, talks with Christian Esguerra about the Philippine government’s strategy to hit herd immunity despite limited vaccine supply—build a “wall” against COVID-19 around Metro Manila and several provinces by inoculating enough people there. But can they put up this line of defense before the more infectious Delta Variant arrives?
Ep. 17: Noynoy Aquino after the presidency
What was life like for the late President Benigno Aquino III after Malacañang? Why did he stay out of public view? Which issues affected him the most and lingered long after his presidency? Get to know him up close in this interview with his former spokeswoman, lawyer Abigail Valte.
Ep. 16: Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples in BARMM
In this episode, Christian Esguerra sits down with the supreme tribal chief of the Timuay Justice and Governance on land grabbing, harassment, and killings experienced by non-Moro indigenous peoples in the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Ep. 15: The Real Battle in 2022
This episode explains why it's important for Filipino voters to define this early the issues that matter to them and scrutinize politicians positioning themselves in next year's presidential election. Writer, teacher, and activist Walden Bello joins Christian Esguerra...
Ep. 14: Drug rehab goes online
There was no letup in President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war despite the pandemic. But a group in the city of Caloocan still found a way to continue a promising community-based drug rehabilitation program by going online during the lockdown. Christian Esguerra sat down...
Ep. 13: Are we back to square one — or worse?
Why is the Philippines now struggling with a new wave of COVID-19 infections, the most number of active cases in Southeast Asia? In this episode, former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral explains what the government failed to do during a critical period in August 2020, and why this whole problem ultimately comes down to leadership and governance, with President Rodrigo Duterte treating the pandemic “in a very cavalier way.”
Ep. 12: Should MILF-led Bangsamoro region seek poll mandate in 2022?
A newly created region in the southern Philippines is set to hold its first parliamentary elections in 2022. But its leaders are pushing to postpone this democratic exercise until the region’s transition is well in place. Benedicto Bacani of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance, and Pancho Lara of International Alert join Christian Esguerra in this episode.
Ep. 11: Political Party-building in the Bangsamoro
In this episode, Christian Esguerra sat down with key figures in the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on the challenges of building strong political parties ahead of the first-ever elections in the region.
Ep. 10: Bangsamoro Elections
In this special #BangsamoroSeries episode, Christian Esguerra sits down with former election commissioner Luie Tito Guia, who explains the parliamentary elections set in the new Bangsamoro region in the southern Philippines in May 2022.
Ep. 9: How to fix the Philippine Party-list System
Lawyer Christian Monsod, a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission which drafted the current Philippine constitution, sits down with journalist Christian Esguerra on how to fix the country’s Party-list System and how to attract more foreign investments — all without having to amend the constitution.
Ep. 8: One-on-one with Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan
In this special #BangsamoroSeries episode, Christian Esguerra sits down with Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan, who’s campaigning against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s push to remain in power for 3 more years as leaders of a new autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao. The governor, whose province wants to bolt the region, questions the leadership and competence of the former rebels, who signed a landmark peace accord with the Philippine government in 2014.
Ep. 7: Bangsamoro Transition
Burdened by high expectations, former Muslim rebels are pushing for a 3-year extension to complete the transition of a new autonomous region under their peace agreement with the Philippine government. They cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and difficulties in running the interim regional government. Christian Esguerra sits down with a member of the Bangsamoro Parliament and a Mindanao peace advocate in this special #BangsamoroSeries episode.