CMFR Staff, Author at CMFR

A review of the Cabral case: What the news revealed, what remains unknown

MARIA CATALINA “Cathy” Cabral, Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary had become a familiar face in the media coverage of the alleged anomalies connected to flood... Read more

CMFR year-end review: Widespread corruption, Duterte controversies dominate 2025 coverage

THIS REVIEW examines the top issues that shaped news coverage in 2025. The critique notes how the media captured the key narratives and key actors who set the stories... Read more

Rappler notes lack of transparency in Palace bulletins on Marcos health

CHEERS TO Rappler for examining how the Palace handled the announcement of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’ recent illness. Rappler’s Bea Cupin was the only reporter who said the refusal... Read more

Budget watch: KMJS unpacks unprogrammed appropriations and the debate over corruption risks

CHEERS TO GMA 7’s Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS) for presenting the technical and complex national budget issues recently linked to large-scale corruption, with a sharp focus on the... Read more

Rappler and CDN explain the roots of the Binaliw landfill tragedy

CHEERS TO Rappler and Cebu Daily News for moving away from episodic coverage of disaster and instead examining the context of failure that preceded the deadly collapse at the... Read more

Radio journalist arrested late at night in Negros Occidental

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – Police arrested radio broadcaster and journalist Erwin “Ambo” Delilan late Monday night, January 19, at his home in Barangay Alicante, E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, over an unjust... Read more

Personal attacks in the Senate: Media caught up in Marcos-Lacson verbal feud

JEERS TO the news organizations that carried the word war between Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Jr. and Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” Imee Marcos. The squabble was irrelevant to the... Read more

Journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio Found Guilty of Terror Financing; But Cleared of Weapons Charge

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – On January 22, Community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio was acquitted of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. But the Tacloban City regional court convicted her of financing... Read more

Photojournalist dies during Traslacion coverage

Veteran tabloid photojournalist Itoh Son, 55, died while covering the annual Traslacion of the Black Nazarene in Manila early Friday morning, January 9, 2026. Son, who worked the daily... Read more

PCIJ: From 2023 to 2025, Marcos kin received highest amount of ‘allocable funds,’ a new form of pork barrel

CHEERS TO Guinevere Latoza of Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) for her in-depth report published on November 29, describing the nature of “allocable funds” and discussing the issues... Read more