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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 democracy, FES works to foster freedom, justice, solidarity, and inclusive democratic participation. Visit the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Philippines website for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 emeritus and lead author of the IPCC’s upcoming special report on climate change and cities, explains how Cebu became this vulnerable. Niña Estenzo, executive director of Impact Blue Dot, shares what flood survivors tell her. We trace the pattern from the stripped uplands to the rivers below, and ask who pays when the safeguards fail. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 “structural literacy,” which teaches children not only what to avoid online but also how to think critically about algorithms, platform design, and the attention economy. Drawing from their children’s book @Alpha, Edgar shares practical ways adults can start conversations about online risks with young people.  If you are interested in reading their storybook, @Alpha is available for download on Sigla Research Center’s website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.