Facts First with Christian Esguerra

This episode explains key aspects of the Philippine national budget, including confidential funds, which are being requested by Vice President Sara Duterte.

We spoke with former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Beijing's push for a new round of negotiations on a joint energy exploration in the West Philippine Sea under President Marcos Jr. Why did the Duterte administration terminate the previous one?

Christian Esguerra sits down with Rep. Roman Romulo, chairman of the House Committee on Education and Culture, for a comprehensive discussion on why Philippine education is in deep crisis -- and what to do about it.

Will the join venture between ABS-CBN and TV5 push through? Will ABS-CBN finally get a new broadcast franchise under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.?

Thirty nine years after his assassination, Ninoy Aquino is  being pilloried by Marcos and Duterte loyalists. A historian joins Christian Esguerra in explaining why, despite all the lies about Ninoy, the former senator and freedom fighter was a hero.

Politicians pushing for mandatory ROTC cite the supposed lack of discipline among today's youth. In this episode, a sociologist explains the much broader issues that should be considered.

This episode looks deep into a Philippine representative's proposed insurance program for jobless Filipinos.

Journalist Christian Esguerra sits down with 3 award-winning authors in Filipino on the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino's move to ban books it deemed "subversive," and/or "anti-" President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. 

This episode looks into solutions, both immediate and long term, in light of the alarming World Bank report showing that 90.9 percent of Filipino children couldn't understand basic, age-appropriate texts by age 10.

This episode examines the rampant party-switching among Filipino politicians, the country's weak political party system, and what can be done to fix it.

Multi-awarded filmmaker Joel Lamangan talks about his plan to direct a movie about the last 72 hours of the Marcoses in 1986 from the perspective of ab ordinary Filipino family, to counter the historical distortion in favor of the family of the late dictator.

Historian Michael Charleston "Xiao" Chua had enough and responds to a Marcos propaganda film director, who claimed the study of history is not a profession.

This episode tackles the rising tension between Taiwan and China and what it means for the Philippines and the rest of the world.

Vince Tañada, the award-winning actor and director of the Martial Law musical "Katips," talks about the significance of his movie and the real purpose of art in the face of historical distortion.

A disgruntled doctor, who gunned down a former Basilan mayor and 2 others on Ateneo campus, is inexplicably portrayed as a hero by many on social media.

Why was Rep. Sandro Marcos, a newbie in Congress, picked as "senior" deputy majority leader? His father happens to be the president of the Philippines and his uncle the speaker of the House of Representatives.

What Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. omitted in his first State of the Nation Address -- issues of human rights, press freedom, peace process -- were just as glaring as those he decided to include in his speech.

IBON Foundation executive director Sonny Africa questions the new Philippine president's understanding of how the economy works in the middle of soaring commodity prices.

Prof. Ambeth Ocampo, one of the most popular and highly respected historians in the Philippines today, is under attack from internet trolls and Marcos loyalists for defending the study of history following a female celebrity's claim that history is just like "chismis" (rumor). You wouldn't want to miss this comprehensive interview with Ocampo by journalist Christian Esguerra.

A Filipino celebrity recently claimed "history is like chismis (gossip." This episode, with public historian Xiao Chua, explains the tedious process and scholarship by historians. 

Christian Esguerra sat down economist, columnist, and TV host Winnie Monsod on a wide range of issues: falsehoods in Marcos Jr.'s inaugural address, the Philippine economy, and media censorship.

How will the new Marcos Jr. administration deal with Beijing's provocative actions in the West Philippine Sea?

Following her election loss, former Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo has turned her "Angat Buhay" program into an NGO. How exactly will poor Filipinos benefit from it? We spoke with its executive director.

Get to know Jun Sabayton and the power of political satire in combating disinformation and historical distortion.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio explains why the National Telecommunications Commission erred in shutting down 27 websites, including 2 news sites, all because they were linked to the communist movement by outgoing National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon. This episodes also warns of the dangerous implications of this government move.