PCIJ's On the Record

When disasters hit, local government units are the automatic front liners. But because typhoons often cover large swaths of areas, national leadership is always necessary to manage response. The next president should prepare for the next big typhoon.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine exposed the country's dependence on food imports. Vietnam, the country's top supplier of rice, has also shown a decline in production.

The country's economic recovery is at stake in the May polls. The next president will need to create jobs and help businesses and industries.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. If a new variant threatens another surge, there are better ways to respond than ordering another lockdown.

2003 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee and PCIJ founding executive director Sheila Coronel delivered this lecture, Marcos and Memory: The Past in Our Future, on Feb. 26, 2022 for the 2022 Adrian Cristobal Lecture Series.

At least 70 of 177 party-list groups accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the May 2022 elections have nominees who are connected to political clans or incumbent local or national elected officials, research by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) showed. Among them are a former senator and many district and party-list representatives, governors, vice governors, provincial board members, mayors, vice mayors, and councilors. Spouses, siblings, and children of politicians are running, too.

On the anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power revolution on Feb. 25, allies of Bongbong Marcos mocked the historic event and declared victory in the May 2022 polls. If Marcos wins, who is to say if EDSA will be celebrated at all in the future? But Leni Robredo and her supporters were defiant. "This is not the last EDSA. We will fight for the people," read a placard in the Iloilo crowd. Her campaign has turned into a crusade.

Candidates in the 2022 elections are talking about the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth or SALN. Why is it important? And why is access to these documents getting harder? In this podcast, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism executive director Carmela Fonbuena, editorial content head Karol Ilagan, reporter Elyssa Lopez, and researcher Martha Teodoro explain why it is an important anti-corruption tool. This podcast is produced by Carmela Fonbuena and Charles Salazar. Music credit: Jazz Mango by Joey Pecoraro

Ang pangangampanya para sa halalan, laging nangangailangan ng pera. Magkano ang ginagastos ng mga kandidato sa kanilang pagtakbo? Sino ang nagpopondo ng kanilang kampanya, at paano ito makakaapekto sa kanilang magiging mga desisyon kapag naupo na sila sa puwesto? Iilan lang ito sa mga tanong na kailangang sagutin para maintindihan ang kahalagahan ng campaign finance. Writer: Cherry Salazar Producers: Cherry Salazar, Charles Salazar Music credit: The Sound of a Dollar by DJ Williams Music promoted by Audio Library Сreative Illustration: Luigi Almuena

In the third and final episode of the Digital Sex Crimes in Asia podcast series, four journalists and a filmmaker share insights and their own experiences during and after their coverage of image-based abuse and the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC). This podcast series is produced in collaboration with ABS-CBN and supported by the Judith Neilson Institute's Asian Stories project. It is part of a multi-platform reportage on OSEC, which also includes a four-part investigative report published on the PCIJ website and an hour-long documentary on the ABS-CBN News Channel.

The online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) does not end with the rescue of victims, or the litigation and sentencing of perpetrators. The impact of OSEC to its victims stretches for life. In the second episode of the Digital Sex Crimes in Asia series, we will hear from an OSEC survivor herself as well as child's rights advocates. Parts of this episode are graphic and may be triggering to some listeners. Discretion is highly advised. This podcast series is produced in collaboration with ABS-CBN, in support by the Judith Neilson Institute's Asian Stories project. The interviews were conducted by Cherry Salazar of PCIJ, who also wrote this episode, with transcription assistance from Alexis Guevara and Daniella Paulino. The cover art was made by Alexandra Paredes. If you want to learn more about the extent of OSEC and the efforts being done to curb it, you may check PCIJ's website, pcij.org, for our complementary multi-part investigative report. The ABS-CBN News Channel will also premiere a documentary on OSEC.

The sexual exploitation of children has been a pressing concern in the Philippines for years, but the crime has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sexual predators are stuck at home, pushing the demand for more child abuse materials, which poor Filipino families supply, as they are forced to find ways to earn money while in quarantine. In this first episode of a special series produced in collaboration with ABS-CBN News, we will hear from government agencies and a trafficker about how social media has aided these crimes against children. Because of the nature of the subject, some parts of this podcast will be graphic and may be triggering to some listeners. Discretion is highly advised. This episode was written by Cherry Salazar of PCIJ and produced by ABS-CBN News. Neil Jayson Servallos of PCIJ and the UST Journalism School and Chiara Zambrano of ABS-CBN News conducted the interviews. Podcast cover art by Alexandra Paredes. This episode is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute's Asian Stories project, in collaboration with ABS-CBN News, the South China Morning Post, The Korea Times and Tempo in Indonesia. If you want to learn more about the extent of the online sexual exploitation of children and efforts being done to curb it, you may please check PCIJ's website, pcij.org, for our complementary multi-part investigative report. The ABS-CBN News Channel will also premiere a documentary on this issue in June.

Ngayong katapusan ng Marso 2021, dapat ay nakasali o nakabuo na ngcooperative ang lahat ng mga may-ari ng pampasaherong jeep sa buong Pilipinas. Ito ay ayon sa deadline na itinakda para sa tinaguriang “consolidation phase” ng Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program o PUVMP na inilunsad ng gobyerno noong Hunyo 2017. Nais ng programang ito na maipatupad ang “one-route, one-franchise system” para sa mga sasakyang namamasada, tulad ng jeepney. Ibig sabihin, sa halip na isa-isa ang pag-issue ng franchise kada isang jeepney operator, ito ay ipagkakaloob na lamang sa isang cooperative na ang mga miyembro ay driver at operator. Sa ganitong paraan, mas magiging efficient ang pamamalakad sa Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board o LTFRB, ang tanging ahensya na nagbibigay ng permit para sa mga pampasaherong sasakyan. Ayun sa mga nakapanayam ng PCIJ, kulang-kulang 2,000 ang empleyado ng LTFRB sa buong bansa. Umaabot naman sa halos 200,000 ang franchise na kanilang pinagkakaabalahan — at ito'y sa jeep lamang at hindi pa kasama ang mga bus, taxi, UV Express, at ang mga TNVS. Ang consolidation o pagsasanib ng jeepney franchises ay makabubuti rin daw para sa mga driver at operator. Dahil nag-consolidate na sila sa isang cooperative, mas magkakaroon sila ng pagkakataong humiram sa bangko para makabili ng mga modernized jeepney na magiging kapalit ng kanilang traditional na pampasada. Mas maginhawa daw para sa pasahero't driver at mas nakakabuti sa kapaligiran ang modernized jeepney. Ang tanong: Ito na ba ang katapusan ng traditional na jeepney, ang tinaguriang Hari ng Kalsada? Pakinggan sa On the Record, ang podcast ng Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Produced by Robert JA Basilio Jr. Credits: Spy Funk by Quincas Moreira (Audio Library, YouTube) and jeepney sound effects by Kevin Luce (freesound.org)

What's the big picture? Investors in the Philippines can enjoy income tax holidays of up to six years. After that, they are allowed to pay only a special 5% tax on gross income earned (GIE) indefinitely, instead of the full 30% income tax paid by everyone else. Why it matters: Income tax breaks enjoyed by investors result in billions of foregone government revenues. These funds could have been collected and better spent on health, education and poverty reduction. What are the facts? In 2018 alone, foregone revenues reached almost P70 billion due to the 5% special tax. This was more than the P53-billion budget of the Department of Agriculture for the same year. The bottomline: A new bill intends to curtail the special 5% tax on gross income earned, a move resisted by officials of investment promotion agencies including the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, who fear that it will drive away foreign investors. Dig deeper: Read the full story here. Produced by Robert JA Basilio Jr. Credits: Music featured in this podcast include “In the Hall” of the Mountain King, composed by Edward Krieg and rendered by Kevin Macleod, “Staycation” by Corbyn Kites, and “Sunshine Samba” by Chris Haugen.