Teka Teka

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 Belda Jr., about what children are seeking online and why restrictions may not fully solve the problem. This is the first episode in a mini-series on children’s rights in the digital age. 

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 solusyon sa ating napakataas na bayarin sa kuryente?

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 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. 

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 porkUnprogrammed fundsOne year after the flood control speech

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.

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.

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 2030.For more information from PTSI, click here.

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.

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.