The Howie Severino Podcast

“When I make a film, it's like a mosaic glass window. It's not planned, it's not distilled like those Hollywood scripts are.”  In Part 2 of his conversation with Howie Severino, National Artist for Film Kidlat Tahimik reflects on his extraordinary transformation from Wharton-educated economist to pioneer of independent Philippine cinema.  Following a decision to leave his office life in Paris, Kidlat’s unconventional path led him to work as a jeepney-driving vendor at the 1972 Munich Olympics, live in an artist commune, and get discovered by famed German director Werner Herzog. This chance encounter sparked the creation of his masterpiece, Mababangong Bangungot (Perfumed Nightmare).  Throughout his iconoclastic career, Kidlat has proudly worn the traditional bahag (loincloth), even at formal ceremonies. In this episode, he shares the philosophy behind this act, presenting an oral retrospective of an artist who continues to rewrite the rules of filmmaking.

When acclaimed filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik recently returned his National Artist medallion, it was a rare and striking act of protest. He was lamenting the Commission on Higher Education's (CHED) proposed policy to cut college general education requirements from 36 units to 18–21, which critics fear could weaken the humanities, history, ethics, and arts. CHED said the plan aims to streamline these fields rather than remove them and that the proposal remains under review. In a recent conversation, journalist Howie Severino sat down with the artist in his home garden to discuss this unprecedented move. Their discussion turned to Tahimik's own eclectic education.  Long before his pivot to art and his self-described identity as a "culture warrior," his path was remarkably diverse:  The Accidental Leader: How he "accidentally" became the UP Student Council Chairperson while majoring in speech and drama.  The Corporate Ivy: How he went on to earn an MBA from Wharton, one of the world’s leading business schools.  The Global Economist: How he cut his teeth working as an economist in Paris, where he also engaged with its vibrant arts scene.  Looking back, the filmmaker explains how this unconventional journey provided him with both a practical understanding of the globalized world and the critical, creative tools needed to challenge it. --- For more information on CHED’s proposal: CHED delays reduction of college GE units

"The truth-telling makes the impeachment process worth it.”  UP Law School Associate Dean Paolo Tamase explains to Howie Severino the various ways an impeachment trial is different from a regular courtroom trial.  He warns against "over-judicialization," or getting bogged down in legal procedures, when an impeachment trial is more of a political process meant to ferret out the truth in service of accountability.  Their conversation revisits previous impeachment cases, including the infamous "second envelope" vote that triggered EDSA 2 during the Joseph Estrada trial and the historic conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona.  Now that a Vice President is on trial, Atty. Tamase raises intriguing questions, such as in the event of her resignation in the middle of the proceedings, should the trial continue?

AI expert Jaemark Tordecilla returns to GMA Network for a wide-ranging conversation with Howie Severino on the technology reshaping journalism, education, and everyday life.They are joined by several dozen high school and college students in the podcast’s first-ever recording with a live audience.Jaemark is the former head of digital operations for GMA News, who led the creation of The Howie Severino Podcast at the start of the pandemic.He later took a year-long study break at Harvard, where he examined AI applications in journalism as well as the technology’s potential risks and unintended consequences.One student in the audience raises the idea of an AI-driven “creative renaissance,” sparking a lively exchange on the enduring value of human intelligence in an increasingly automated world.Tune in for that and much more.

With former President Duterte set to face trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, we look back at his formative years, long before he rose to power. “He wished his father saw him become a lawyer.” Journalist and biographer Earl Parreño tells Howie Severino that Duterte idolized his father, Vicente, a former Cabinet secretary and governor of Davao, and deeply loved his mother. In his self-published biography, “Beyond Will and Power,” Parreño traces Duterte’s early exposure to violence, drawing on accounts from close friends and relatives, as well as the former president’s own statements. He details some pivotal moments, including a shooting incident while he was a law student at San Beda.

For this special episode of Howie Severino Presents, the team travels to the northernmost province of the archipelago to look for the last traditional stone houses, a distinctive feature of Batanes that is rapidly disappearing.   Some of these houses have been standing for more than a hundred years, a symbol of Batanes’ rugged ingenuity. But recent restrictions on harvesting local wood and other native materials have hampered their repair. Home owners are shifting to cement and more common shelter designs, erasing a unique cultural treasure.  Racing against time, a collaborative effort by university-based engineers and architects, the DOST, and indigenous builders has created a prototype of a reinforced traditional house.  Is this the solution to a vanishing heritage? Severino and his team journey to a sea-swept corner of Batanes to find out. 

Has your feed been invaded — by China, America, or any other foreign power? How can you tell?Open-source intelligence analyst Giano Libot explains how foreigners shape and influence public opinion in the Philippines. He discusses how a recent statement by AFP Chief Romeo Brawner was taken out of context and went viral, showing how narratives can be twisted and amplified online.This is the third and final episode in Howie Severino’s special series on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI).Libot and Severino unpack how local influencers and bot networks can spread propaganda that originates from foreign state media. Together, they explore how this kind of online meddling undermines trust, distorts public debate, and threatens our democracy.Don’t miss the full conversation—and stay tuned for a special upcoming episode on heritage conservation!

In China's influence operations in the world, the Philippines ranked 7th in 2022, according to the study the China Index. In 2024, the Philippines went down the ranking to number 29.Analyst Janina Santos from Doublethink Lab, a think tank that studies Foreign Information Manipulation Interference or FIMI, unpacks China's online influence in the world and how this has pervaded our everyday lives affecting media, the academe, and domestic politics.  What does China's influence operations threaten? She explains to Howie Severino in this second installment to a special 3-part series on foreign actors and disinformation.

In today’s information battlefield, outside forces are waging influence campaigns using proxies, propaganda, and falsehoods to sway public opinion.This tactic is known as Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI).How does FIMI threaten democracies around the world? What’s happening in the Philippines? Prof. Rachel Khan of the University of the Philippines breaks it down.This is Part 1 of a three-part special series uncovering how foreign actors meddle in Philippine politics through disinformation.