Teka Teka

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 ASEAN countries already banning vapes, the Philippines risks becoming a dumping ground for these products if lawmakers fail to act.

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.

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. 

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.

The House passed the Anti-False Information Bill by a staggering 286 to 3 vote. On paper, it sounds like exactly what the Philippines needs to combat a massive disinformation crisis. The bill targets deliberate, harmful lies and introduces strict new transparency rules for big tech platforms like Meta, YouTube, and TikTok.In this episode, independent journalist Nica Rhiana Hanopol sits down with Ross Fallorina, Managing Director of the SIGLA Research Center and a member of the bill’s technical working group. They dive deep into the messy political realities behind its rushed passage, what the bill gets right, and what it dangerously leaves open to interpretation. The conversation also breaks down why countering disinformation goes beyond platform accountability and false claims; it’s also about education and labor.

In this inspiring episode, we feature Pauli Basubas, a Filipina Gen Z space biologist chasing her dream of becoming the first Filipino astronaut. From her humble beginnings in Cebu, where nights under the island sky sparked her curiosity, to her groundbreaking research in space biology, Pauli’s journey is a testament to resilience, vision, and purpose.Recently featured in the documentary To the Moon and Back at the prestigious Visions du Réel International Film Festival in Switzerland, Pauli shares how she carries her island roots proudly into the global stage of space science. She explains why space exploration matters to our everyday lives, from satellites that help predict typhoons to technologies like water purification and phone cameras that originated from space research.Finally, she reflects on her journey, her mission to inspire Filipino youth, and her vision of creating opportunities so that more island kids can dream beyond survival and reach for the stars.

On January 8, the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City collapsed, burying workers alive under mountains of waste. Locals called it a “trashslide.” The tragedy would not be the last of its kind in 2026. Journalist Maverick Avila traces a devastating chain of waste-related disasters across the Philippines: the Binaliw trashslide, the Rizal landfill collapse, the Navotas landfill fire that burned for a month, and the Davao landfill collapse that followed. He speaks with Jhaylord Antigua, a safety officer who survived the Binaliw trashslide by what he calls “luck,” and who continues to work at the landfill to this day. He also sits down with Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, an environmental scientist and waste expert, to ask: why does this keep happening?

The Marcos-Duterte alliance delivered a historic landslide victory in 2022, but just a few years later, it has collapsed into one of the biggest political feuds in recent Philippine history. In this episode of Teka Teka, sociologist Athena Charanne Presto unpacks why the Uniteam alliance unraveled, what it reveals about political dynasties, power, and polarization in the Philippines, and how the fallout could shape the road to the 2028 presidential election.