Tragic Stories Built on Trust

By Manny Mogato Senior Correspondent, Reuters   THE STORIES are tragic. They are horrifying and shocking. They are too compelling for any journalist to ignore. But, as the bodies started to pile up, the stories became more difficult to report to report. Government officials seem to want to bury...

Beyond the Death Toll, Humanizing the Victims

By The Nightcrawlers*   THOUSANDS have been killed in this government’s so-called “war” on drugs. At the same time, thousands of words and images have been written and photographed on this war. For this work, we journalists have been called many names  — from dilawan to presstitutes, even destabilizers of the...

A Bloody Trail of Patterns

By Aie Balagtas See Reporter, Philippine Daily Inquirer   MY COVERAGE of the war on drugs began on July 3, 2016. It was President Rodrigo Duterte’s third day in office. What a bloody Sunday it was! That day particularly struck me because of the sheer number of dead bodies that piled...

Cops Shift from Open to Opaque: What’s Secret about Drug War Data?

By Vino Lucero Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism   RIGHT BEFORE the inaugural as president of Rodrigo R. Duterte and the launch of his so-called war on drugs, I got an interview with a police general about a homegrown information system of the Philippine National Police (PNP). For the...

To the Max, Facts, Propaganda Cranked up in Battle for Marawi

Reflections of a TV correspondent   I HAVE BEEN covering conflicts for over 20 years both here and abroad. I thought I’ve seen it all. Then came the battle for Marawi. At first it was just like the all-out war versus the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) in Maguindanao...

Foreign Media and the Presidential Coverage

  ON FEBRUARY 20, when Rappler reporter Pia Ranada was barred from Malacañang Palace, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque also announced that foreign reporters are not allowed  “as a matter of course, access on a regular . . . unimpeded access to the Palace.” This, he clarified was not a...

Who’s Afraid of Vaginas?

  TWO YEARS in office, President Rodrigo Duterte has joked about rape, insulted women and teased ladies with sexual innuendos. In many occasions, women groups called him out for these remarks. But these have not affected his popularity among his supporters, men and women alike. During his campaign in...

Media Got it Right: Duterte on Martial Law

  PRESS SECRETARY Martin Andanar blamed the media for what he called “the height of journalistic irresponsibility” following media reports on the latest remarks of President Rodrigo Duterte on martial law. Actually, the media got it all and the media got it right. On January 14, Duterte addressed the Davao...

US, Philippines and the Drug War: A Meddlesome Affair?

THE STEADFAST war on drugs of the Duterte administration provoked world leaders and global humanitarian groups to express deep concern over the high casualty count. Among the many critics, the United States received the most intense expression of President Rodrigo Duterte’s ire as he accused the US president and...

INFOGRAPHIC: Reuters Checks Duterte’s Figures on Drugs