Teka Teka

PhilStar.com reporter Cristina Chi joins Regine Cabato to unpack how foreign disinformation networks are exploiting real frustrations in the Philippines—turning them into viral calls for Mindanao secession and anti-Marcos narratives. Cristina reveals how Chinese-aligned social media accounts and bot networks helped spread false claims about Mindanao independence, and even tried to redirect blame t...

Meta scrapped its third-party fact-checking program. Google quietly removed its fact-checking features. What does this mean for misinformation, disinformation, and online safety? In this episode, journalist Nica Rhiana Hanopol speaks with Clara Jiménez Cruz, chair of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network and co-founder of Spain's Maldita.es, about the seismic changes happening in the fact-c...

The jewelry heist at the Louvre shows that some people will risk everything for things that sparkle and inspire awe with their beauty. In this re-run of a Thought Bubbles episode from March 2025, Bubbles Magpayo sits down with art collector and gallery owner Atty. Joseph “JT” Gonzales to explore where Filipino art is headed. They talk about Gen Z collectors, affordable art, AI vs traditional art,...

TThousands of children in the Philippines live where everyone can see them — on sidewalks, under bridges, in jeepney terminals — yet the system barely knows they exist. In this episode, Bahay Tuluyan, a child-rights organization that has worked with street-involved children for nearly four decades, talks about what it really means to be visible but invisible: documented nowhere, excluded from scho...

When fact-checkers dug into fake news flooding YouTube and TikTok, they found something deeper — ordinary Filipinos caught in a web of lies. In this episode, Regine Cabato speaks with Nikko Balbedina of PressONE.ph about the rise of “news cycle disinformation”—and how it turns victims into unwitting spreaders of falsehoods. Listen as they unpack how profit, algorithms, and emotion shape the inform...

Who was Apolinario Mabini, really? Known as “The Sublime Paralytic” and “Brains of the Philippine Revolution” (Utak ng Himagsikan), Mabini shaped the course of the revolution through his sharp intellect, even as he lost the use of his legs to polio. In this episode, we revisit Mabini’s legacy through his posthumous work, La Revolucion Filipina. What did Mabini really think of the revolution, Emili...

Nearly twenty years after he first got acquainted with Philippine basketball, American writer and Pacific Rims author Rafe Bartholomew returns to reflect on how the game—and the culture around it—has evolved. In this episode of Teka Teka hosted by Jaemark Tordecilla, Rafe talks about the Ateneo–La Salle rivalry that first drew him into the country’s hoops scene, the debate over foreign student-ath...

Why do Filipinos still hesitate to seek help for mental health? Psychiatrist Dr. Nueva Joy Perucho talks to Hannah Grace about the realities of mental health care in the Philippines — the stigma, the silence, and the hope. From the rise of telepsychiatry to the importance of speaking in your mother tongue, this episode explores how compassion, culture, and connection can make healing possible. If...

Nepal’s Gen Z protests are shaking the foundations of power. From corruption scandals to a historic “Discord vote” that helped select an interim prime minister, young Nepalis are challenging the political order and demanding accountability. Journalist Pranaya Rana of Kalam Weekly joins Roby Alampay to unpack the roots of the youth-led movement, what sparked it, and what comes next for Nepal. What...

What’s the difference between being rich and being truly wealthy? Gen Z host Angel Martinez sits down with Boomer Francis Kong — entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker — and Xennial Eric Dee, COO of FooDee Global Concepts, for a multigenerational conversation on money mindsets. From Gen Z’s retail therapy or “budol” spending habits and the pressure of keeping up online to their rising entr...

2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Fr. Flaviano “Flavie” Villanueva shares his powerful journey from drug addiction to priesthood, and his mission to give second chances to the homeless, the grieving, and victims of Duterte’s bloody war on drugs. In this conversation with Roby Alampay, Fr. Flavie reflects on faith, redemption, and what it means to stand with the forsaken. He opens up about the realities...

During the pandemic, content creation exploded from dance trends into a serious career path. But what happens when anyone with a camera and Wi-Fi can become a “news source”? In this episode of Generations , Angel Martinez and Jaemark Tordecilla sit down with award-winning multimedia journalist Jacque Manabat to talk about the blurred lines between journalism and content creation. Jacque talks abou...

On September 21, 2025, thousands of Filipinos joined protests against alleged corruption in flood control projects. In this episode, Regine Cabato speaks with Kiko Aquino Dee, co-convener of SIKLAB (Simbahan at Komunidad Laban sa Katiwalian), about the Trillion Peso March, the growing public anger, and what’s next for the anti-corruption movement. This episode is engineered by Anthony Tobias. Jaem...

Was Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos really a “golden age” for the Philippine economy—or a myth built on debt and corruption? Mayen Vital and JC Punongbayan revisit the economic realities of the Marcos years in this Usapang Econ episode from 2019. Using historical data and analysis, they debunk three common myths: that Martial Law marked the “golden age” of the Philippine economy, that the infra...

Rica Peralejo, actress and online personality, discusses the "patol" culture on social media in the latest episode of the Generations podcast with Angel Martinez and Jaemark Tordecilla. She shares her personal experiences with online backlash, including a memorable incident involving a hospital visit and a viral tweet, and her more recent controversy involving Heart Evangelista. Rica also offers i...

Why does the Philippines continue to suffer from severe flooding despite spending over ₱545 billion on nearly 10,000 flood control projects? In this episode of Teka Teka, reporter Lilian Tiburcio speaks with Glenn Banaguas — world-renowned science diplomat, UN Sasakawa Awardee for Disaster Risk Reduction, and founder of the Environmental and Climate Change Research Institute. They unpack the real...

Atom Araullo joins Philstar Life columnist Angel Martinez and PumaPodcast Editor-at-Large Jaemark Tordecilla in the episode of Generations! They engage in a thoughtful conversation about "kurakot-shaming," the origins of Atom's journalistic approach, the problem with performative outrage, and how to sustain anger against corruption. They also discuss the effectiveness of online "cancel culture" ve...

Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest democracy, but today, it’s a nation in turmoil. In this episode, Roby Alampay speaks with Hafizh Nabiyyin, Freedom of Expression Division Head at the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFENet), and Juan Robin, multimedia journalist from Narasi TV. Together, they unpack Indonesia’s mass protests—how youth movements, social media campaigns, and frust...

Fr. Flavie Villanueva, a Filipino priest and 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, has dedicated his life to restoring dignity to society’s most vulnerable—especially the poor, victims of the war on drugs, and those once entangled in petty crime. In this episode, we look back on our Tokhang sa Tokhang feature on his work, exploring his mission of compassion, his groundbreaking community programs, and how...

Is the popular use of "therapy-speak" a sign of progress or a potential pitfall? Trauma therapist and RockEd co-founder Gang Badoy joins Philstar Life columnist Angel Martinez and PumaPodcast editor-at-large Jaemark Tordecilla to discuss the perks and dangers of pathologizing everyday phenomena.  They discuss terms like "narcissist," "trauma," "gaslighting," and "bipolar," differentiating the...

Why do conspiracy theories thrive—and why do so many Filipinos believe them? In this episode, Regine Cabato sits down with journalist Sofia Tomacruz and sociologist Nicole Curato, co-authors of How Conspiracy Theories Harm Deliberative Democracy . They talk about everything from Marcos-era myths to modern-day TikTok videos, why these stories resonate even with people who see themselves as “critica...

Journalism's credibility is once again under scrutiny after Mayor Vico Sotto's post about alleged media corruption went viral. In this episode, PumaPodcast's Founder and Chairman Roby Alampay and Editor-at-Large Jaemark Tordecilla dive deep into the accusations, the ethical dilemmas faced by journalists, and the public's role in rebuilding trust in media. They discuss the allegations against media...

In this episode, Regine Cabato and Gian Libot discuss their recent report for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, "Five Ways the Duterte Influence Machine is Deceiving Filipinos." They break down how a "cyborg operation" of human and AI-powered elements feeds pro-Duterte propaganda to the public, especially concerning the Vice President's impeachment case.  They explore five t...

What’s just a harmless quirk, and what’s a true deal-breaker? TV and film director Mae Cruz Alviar and visual artist Raco Ruiz sit down with Angel Martinez and Jaemark Tordecilla for a multigenerational conversation on dating “icks.” With insights spanning Gen Z to Gen X, they explore how social media, culture, and experience shape the way we judge potential partners—and whether being too focused...

Director JL Burgos, fresh off his FAMAS Best Picture and Best Director wins for Alipato at Muog , discusses the documentary's personal journey and its fight for justice for his abducted brother, Jonas Burgos. The director opens up about the unexpected FAMAS wins, the MTRCB's initial X-rating and subsequent reclassification to R-16, and the ongoing challenges of screening the film, including survei...