President Marcos Jr 5th State of the Nation Address from A-Z

What Marcos said in his fifth SONA, from A-Z

Cristina Chi  
Philstar.com
July 28, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used his fifth State of the Nation Address to address two crises that tested his administration in the past year: the corruption scandal in flood control works, and the economic fallout from the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz amid the war in the Middle East. 

Marcos devoted the opening portion of his speech to vowing full accountability in the corruption scandal that had rocked the government in 2025. He told Congress that his own cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, could soon be jailed over anomalous flood control projects, and that nearly P25 billion has been recovered or frozen from the accused.

The president also departed from his prepared speech at least twice to make his biggest economic announcements: a demand to amend the EPIRA law so consumers stop paying for power firms' systems loss, and a three-part tax relief package for the middle class.

Here, we break down Marcos' 2026 SONA into easily digestible topics from A to Z.

Arbitral Award

Marcos marked the 10th anniversary of the 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea, calling it "a definitive benchmark for the interpretation and application of the UNCLOS" and vowing to use "every peaceful and legal means available to the Republic against any attempt, foreign or domestic, to undermine this achievement."

"This is not a claim that we advance alone, nor one that we will abandon," he said, honoring the military, the Coast Guard and fisherfolk who "give life to the letter and spirit of the Arbitral Award."

Without naming any country, the president pushed back against what he called a threat "directed against our dignity and self-respect as a people." He said: "We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars... We are Filipinos, and we do not yield."

Context: China Daily, the Chinese state-run outlet, posted an AI-generated video on Facebook on the July 10 arbitral award anniversary depicting Filipinos as monkeys. The video specifically showed a monkey in Filipino attire, directed by arms representing the United States and Japan, called "stupid," holding a sheet reading "South China Sea arbitration award."

Bigas

Marcos said the government distributed more than 26,000 metric tons of rice to over 2.5 million families as incomes plunged during the oil price crisis, and will keep going until 8 million families are reached.

The "Benteng Bigas Meron Na" program — the P20-per-kilo rice initiative Marcos rolled out nationwide last year — is now benefiting more than 12 million Filipinos, he said, while over 800 KADIWA outlets let farmers and fisherfolk sell directly to consumers.

The government also capped the price increase of imported rice during the emergency, Marcos said, and nearly two million farmers and fisherfolk received aid under the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolk, and Families at the height of high fuel prices.

Campus violence 

Marcos expressed condolences for the students who died in the Tacloban school shooting, one of the deadliest campus violence incidents in recent history.

In his speech, Marcos offered condolences to their families and paid tribute to the three student casualties by name — Chris Lorenz Fabian, Joyancee Separa and Ayessa Nicole Dazo. Marcos hailed their "unflinching bravery and heroic virtue" and said they "are an inspiration to us all."  

In response, the president said the first batch of 10,000 School Counsellor Associates will be deployed to public schools, while local governments, barangays, the police and the Department of Education will jointly tighten campus security. 

Disaster response 

Marcos said the government aided more than 600,000 families after the recent earthquake in the Visayas and Mindanao. The government also poured over P3 billion into food, medical care, financial aid and housing, he said.

Additionally, with the new concept of a State of Imminent Disaster, Marcos said, "we will no longer wait for calamity to strike" before acting.

EPIRA

In one of the speech's biggest unscripted moments, Marcos demanded that Congress amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act to stop power firms from passing systems loss charges — and the VAT on top of them — to consumers.

"It's not the consumers' fault that there are systems losses, so it's not right that they're made to pay for it," he said, adding: "We the people request, no, we demand for the immediate amendment of the EPIRA to prohibit charging systems loss against consumers, including the Value-Added Tax thereon."

System loss refers to electricity lost to technical leakage and pilferage as power moves through the grid. Under EPIRA, enacted in 2001, distribution utilities are allowed to recover these losses from customers, subject to caps set by the Energy Regulatory Commission. This means system loss charges are a line item that has long appeared on every household's monthly bill.

Flood control

A year after Marcos stood at the same rostrum to vow his government would stamp out corruption in flood control projects, he reported that so far several contractors, senior Department of Public Works and Highways officials and lawmakers have been charged and jailed.

Nearly P25 billion in money and assets of the accused have been recovered, frozen or preserved, Marcos said, with more than P800 million already returned to the Treasury. The government also stopped payments for "defective, fake, or ghost projects" that would have gone to corrupt contractors and officials.

Prosecution now rests with the Ombudsman and a strengthened National Prosecution Service. "You can count on it: the wheels of justice are turning," Marcos said in Filipino.

 Without mentioning him by name, Marcos also said the Ombudsman would soon be filing "case after case (patong patong na kaso)" against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, his cousin.

Romualdez has been accused by the Ombudsman of being the central mastermind of a kickback scheme that allegedly ran wild during his term as House speaker. 

GAMOT

Under the GAMOT program, PhilHealth members can now claim essential medicines from more than 2,000 accredited providers, with a benefit limit of P20,000 per member per year, Marcos said.

The list now covers 75 medicines — antibiotics and drugs for asthma, hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, cough and fever — and more than 300,000 Filipinos have availed in the first seven months of the year.

Hormuz

The war that closed the Strait of Hormuz — the passage that carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil — dominated Marcos' year and the economic part of his speech. 

The Philippines, which imports nearly all its crude, scrambled for alternatives, and Marcos said supply was secured through purchases from Japan, South Korea, Oman, India, Russia and China, a stockpile he put at nearly two months' worth.

He claimed pump prices were well-managed and price increases were spread over a week with oil firms' cooperation. Marcos recalled Congress passed a law suspending excise taxes on LPG and kerosene for three months.   

Marcos said the government negotiated with Iran for the safety of thousands of Filipino crew members aboard vessels in the strait. But elsewhere in the speech, Marcos acknowledged that a number of Filipinos have died or remain missing in the Middle East.

"Everything that could possibly be done to bring prices down and slow their rise, we did," he said in Filipino, adding that the government has even been "admired" for the speed of its response. 

Support programs are funded at more than P60 billion through year-end, Marcos said. 

Investments

Marcos said more than P6 trillion in investments have been "facilitated" through Green Lanes over the past three years — the fast-track approval process his administration created in 2023 for projects it deems strategic.  

An important caveat, however, is that this figure counts approvals, not money that has been funneled into programs. Marcos did not say how much of the P6 trillion has actually broken ground or begun operating, and the 400,000 jobs he cited are, by his own phrasing, "estimated to create."

The Philippines now counts 23 free trade agreements, Marcos said, though that tally lumps together deals in force with those still under negotiation.

Jobs

On Labor Day, at the height of fuel prices, the government mounted nearly 100 fairs nationwide where some 300,000 jobs were advertised, Marcos said. Of those, just over 6,000 people were hired on the spot.

Marcos said the fairs will continue nationwide for displaced workers.

Kuryente

Electricity prices spiked in June on costly fuel prices and a strong dollar, Marcos acknowledged.

The relief Marcos cited was relatively modest and temporary: power firms were ordered to refund customers they had overbilled — money those customers were owed in the first place — while "select" consumers were allowed to pay bills in installments from May to July, with disconnections banned only while those installments were being paid.

Ligtas Pinoy Centers

Construction begins this year on Ligtas Pinoy Centers — evacuation buildings designed, Marcos said, to withstand a super typhoon with 340 kph winds and a magnitude 8.4 earthquake — starting in disaster-prone Bicol, Eastern Samar, Bukidnon and Davao de Oro.

Middle-class tax relief

In another major ad-lib, Marcos asked Congress to pass a three-part tax relief package for the middle class and small businesses.

First, expand the income tax exemption to cover workers earning up to P350,000 a year, alongside "corresponding reductions" in income tax for other workers. Second, exempt small businesses from the minimum corporate income tax. Third, grant an amnesty on unpaid income, estate and value-added taxes, including the penalties attached to them.

"As distinct protection for them, and so they get more out of their hard-earned income, I call on Congress to pass a law giving some relief on our tax dues," Marcos said in Filipino.

Under the TRAIN law of 2018, annual taxable income of P250,000 and below is exempt; Marcos' proposal would raise that floor by P100,000. 

Nuclear and natural gas

"Perhaps it is time for us to revisit nuclear energy production," Marcos said, while saying the country already uses nuclear technology in medicine, agriculture, water filtration and the upcycling of plastic. 

He said he is confident nuclear power can shore up the country's energy security and bring down electricity costs, and promised it would be safe and properly explained to the public.

The president also touted what he called "truly a national treasure": an untapped reserve of 222 billion cubic feet of natural gas found after Malampaya drilling resumed for the first time in eight years, following the extension of its service contract to 2039. He said the find can keep the country's premier gas field producing until 2034 and is enough to power 1.6 million households for eight years.

OFWs

With more than 2.5 million Filipinos working in the Middle East, Marcos said the government has brought home more than 12,000 of them safely since the war erupted, while over 140,000 others received food, cash, medical care and shelter amid the fighting.

Marcos also said nearly seven million OFWs are now insured, and that the government raised the minimum wage for Filipinos working abroad as domestic helpers. He acknowledged that some Filipinos have died or remain missing in the Middle East.

Pax Silica

Briefly, Marcos also touted the Pax Silica Industrial Hub, a product of the 23-member, US-led Pax Silica Initiative, saying it will create an ecosystem with AI at its core. 

A strategic component of the Luzon Economic Corridor, the hub will serve as an advanced manufacturing and logistics center in the global AI and technology value chain, Marcos said.

Context: Pax Silica, launched in Washington in December 2025 to secure supply chains for AI, semiconductors and critical minerals — and widely read as a counter to China's dominance in the sector — has drawn both interest and criticism since the Philippines joined in April, with a formal signing eyed in November. The government has offered around 1,620 hectares in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac for the planned hub.

Supporters say it could turn the country into a regional technology hub, but farmers' groups, environmental advocates, and Indigenous Peoples' organizations have raised alarms over the projected power and water demands of data centers, possible mining expansion and displacement, and fears the Philippines will be locked into supplying raw materials and low-cost assembly work. 

Quezon City's new train line

Twelve stations of the MRT-7 will open next year — the first new MRT line in nearly three decades — running from North Avenue to Sacred Heart in Quezon City, and eventually to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Marcos said the line will serve almost a million passengers a day.

Rocket

The Philippines is going to space — or at least, launching toward it. Marcos said Cagayan is "geographically and economically primed" to host the country's first spaceport, with a sounding rocket launch test slated for next year in partnership with a South Korean aerospace company.

"Yes, we are going to launch a rocket into space," Marcos said, drawing applause.

SSS

Around 44 million Filipinos are now covered by SSS since the start of the administration, Marcos said, including more than 80,000 drivers, vendors, gig workers, job order and contract of service personnel, and others from the informal sector.

SSS pensioners got their 10% pension increase in June, three months ahead of its September schedule, while retired uniformed personnel saw their pensions and subsistence allowance raised this year.  

Teachers

More than 80,000 public school teachers and school heads have been promoted under the Expanded Career Progression system, Marcos said. He said this makes good on his promise in last year's SONA that no teacher would retire as Teacher I. 

Over 30,000 positions have been added to grow the teaching force, Marcos said.

Utang

Agrarian reform beneficiaries will be free of their debts by the end of the year, Marcos said, as the government continues to write off what they owe.  

The administration has handed out more than 400,000 land titles covering upwards of 500,000 hectares in four years, the president said, and will finish distributing the rest next year.  

Marcos then turned to his agrarian reform secretary with a playful jab: don't think about retiring yet. "You still have a lot of work to do at the DAR," Marcos said in Filipino. 

Context: Marcos signed the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (Republic Act 11953) in 2023. This law condoned P57.55 billion in unpaid principal amortizations, interest and surcharges for over 600,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries.

While peasant groups like the Kilusan ng Magbubukid ng Pilipinas welcomed the signing of the law in 2023, they believe debt condonation alone is not enough to cure the landlessness of farmers.

Vehicles

The government has scrapped all tariffs on electric vehicles until 2028 to pull prices down, Marcos said, and ordered agencies to prioritize EVs when replacing their fleets.  

The president expressed hope in an ambitious target of having half of all vehicles in the country running on electricity by 2040.

Marcos also asked the industry to get behind the long-delayed public transport modernization program, promising it would be carried out humanely and fairly.

Waste

Marcos called for updating the 25-year-old Ecological Solid Waste Management Act to catch up with modern practices in waste disposal.

"As we recalibrate our solid waste management systems, we can draw inspiration from the solid waste management practices being championed by the MMDA here in Metro Manila, such as waste recovery, processing, and upcycling," Marcos said.

He held up the MMDA's waste recovery, processing and upcycling as a model, including the former Carmona sanitary landfill of the 1990s, now the MMDA Nature Park and soon a base for disaster-preparedness training.

eXports

Philippine exports keep growing, Marcos said, from critical components supplied to the world's top tech companies to farm products like ube, coconut and bananas. 

There is now also an unexpected new venture: enoki mushrooms. 

Foreign investments "continue to pour in because of beneficial policies: those promoting ease of doing business and accelerating digital transformation that curbs red tape and corruption," Marcos said.

YAKAP

Marcos said 4.5 million of the 25 million Filipinos registered in Philhealth's Yamang Kalusugan at Proteksyon/Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) program have gotten check-ups this year. 

Starting next year, the program will gradually add blood tests and medicines to catch kidney, liver and thyroid disease and hepatitis B early.

Zero-balance billing

Since its launch after last year's SONA, the Zero-Balance Billing policy has let nearly three million Filipinos benefit from DOH hospital wards without paying a single centavo, Marcos said.

The Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program, meanwhile, has registered more than eight million patients, Marcos said. It is now online as "e-MAIFIP" through the eGovPH app.

Families using PhilHealth benefits have climbed from over five million in 2022 to more than 7.5 million in the past year, Marcos added.

PInay wins in Women's World 8-ball championship in Wisconsin

Centeno sweeps way to women’s world 8-ball title

Niel Victor C. Masoy
The Manila Times
28 July 2026

FILIPINO cue artist Chezka Centeno swept her way to the Women's World 8-ball title capped by a 9-6 final win over English legend Kelly Fisher at the Oneida Casino Hotel in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States Monday morning in Manila.

Centeno went 7-0 in the tournament punctuated by a zero ball missed match in the final (no missed shot) to grab her third major title after conquering the 2023 and 2025 editions of the World 10-ball Championships.

The 27-year-old Centeno pocketed a prize money of $30,000 or more than P1.8 million from her latest title.

It was a tight battle between Centeno and Fisher, whose safety on the 6-ball was called a foul in the 15th rack.

That paved the way for Centeno to finish the 5 and the 8-ball for the win.

Centeno dedicated her championship to her late mother Josephine who passed away last May.

"Ma, I did it! This is for you," wrote Centeno in a Facebook post Monday.

"Thank you, everyone, for all the love, prayers and support. 2026 Women’s 8-Ball World Champion. All glory is Yours."

Centeno started her campaign with a 7-2 win over American Ada Lio, 7-3 over Turkish Eylül Kibaroğlu, and 7-5 over South Korea Seo Seoa to enter the last 16.

"The Flash" dethroned defending champ Austrian Jasmine Ouschan in the last 16, 8-4, before ousting fellow Filipino Rubilen Amit in the quarterfinals, 8-6.

Centeno took down Taiwanese Wei Tzu-Chien in the semifinals, 8-5, before outlasting Fisher.

Centeno will next participate at the Fujifilm Women's Doubles Master Showdown in Rome, where she will team up with Amit.

The competition will run from Aug. 1 to 4.

Two Filipinas win top prizes at Sri Lanka pageant

Two Filipinas win top prizes at Sri Lanka pageant

Story by Armin P. Adina 
Inquirer.net
27 July 2028

Two Filipinas simultaneously won the top prizes at an international beauty pageant held in Sri Lanka last July 25 (July 26 in the Philippines).

Alexandra Krishna Oriño, a semifinalist from the recent Miss Universe Philippines competition last May, won her first international crown as Miss Tourism at a pageant held in Negombo, Sri Lanka on July 25 (July 26 in Manila).

Meanwhile, Ma. Kathleen Monjardin who comes from Boracay, won the title of Miss Teen Tourism, a separate category from the same pageant.

A total of 18 delegates participated in the twin competitions for both the “Miss” and “Teen” categories, conducted in a single program and organized by a team based in the Philippines.

Both Oriño and Monjardin were fielded by Gerald Ortiz, organizer of the Mr. and Ms. Philippine Youth pageant. He was also the local director who appointed Ahtisa Manalo in both of her Miss Universe Philippines competitions in 2024 and 2025.

Ortiz was also in Sri Lanka to serve as one of the judges of the twin competitions. The executive committee of the Miss and Miss Teen Tourism Organization has appointed him to sit in the panel.

Aside from her Miss Tourism title, Oriño also received the Velona Venus Queen, Best in Evening Gown, Best in Forum, and Best in Production Number awards.

Monjardin also received multiple distinctions, a gold for Charity Queen and another one for Best in National Costume, and a bronze for Best in Talent.

Oriño trained under the Aces & Queens pageant camp for her Miss Universe Philippines competition. She topped the online poll for Miss Playtime Universe at the national pageant, which earned for her a spot in the Top 30. /edv

Fil-Am entertainers Nicole Scherzinger and Jo Koy to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Jo Koy, Nicole Scherzinger named to Hollywood Walk of Fame class of 2027

Nimfa U. Rueda
Inquirer.net
25 July 2026

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Filipino American entertainers Nicole Scherzinger and Jo Koy have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as members of the Class of 2027, earning one of the entertainment industry’s highest public honors.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced the 32-member class on Thursday during a news conference at Funko Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard.

Scherzinger and Jo Koy were recognized in the Live Theatre/Live Performance category alongside Italian ballet star Roberto Bolle.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame, established in 1960, honors artists who have made significant contributions to the entertainment industry. Stretching along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, it features more than 2,800 terrazzo-and-brass stars recognizing achievements in motion pictures, television, recording, radio, live theatre/live performance and sports entertainment.

Honorees are chosen each year by the Walk of Fame Selection Committee from hundreds of nominations submitted by fans, studios, record labels and others in the entertainment industry. The selections are then ratified by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

“The Walk of Fame Selection Committee is proud to welcome the Class of 2027 to one of the most enduring symbols of achievement in entertainment,” selection committee chairman Peter Roth said in a statement. “These extraordinary individuals have each made a lasting impact on audiences around the world through their talent, creativity and dedication to their craft.”

Nicole Scherzinger

Scherzinger, whose father is of Filipino descent, first rose to international fame as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls before building an award-winning career as a solo artist, television personality and stage performer.

She has also earned critical acclaim for her work in musical theater, including her recent success in Sunset Boulevard.

Jo Koy

Jo Koy, who has long celebrated his Filipino heritage in his stand-up comedy, has become one of the world’s top-grossing comedians. His routines frequently draw on his experiences growing up with a Filipino mother and have helped bring Filipino culture to mainstream audiences worldwide.

The Class of 2027 also includes actors Pedro Pascal, Lisa Kudrow, Idris Elba, Kate Hudson and Adam Scott; recording artists Karol G, Sia, Linkin Park and Lil Wayne; and former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson, who will be honored in the Sports Entertainment category.

Dates for the star ceremonies have not yet been announced. Recipients have up to two years to schedule their ceremonies before their selections expire.

Philippines among strongest travel destinations in H2

Philippines among strongest travel destinations in H2 – AirAsia

Elijah Felice Rosales 
Philstar Global
22 July 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Travelers are looking for opportunities to fly to foreign destinations in the second half, and this is going to benefit Philippine tourism, according to AirAsia’s booking platform.

Based on forward booking data from AirAsia MOVE, travelers are spending 35 percent more on flights than on their hotels, indicating they are scaling down on accommodation to afford higher airfares.

“The data suggests that travelers remain willing to invest in reaching their preferred destinations, while becoming more selective about where they stay,” MOVE said.

This is becoming evident in the kind of properties that travelers are choosing to stay in. Three in four hotel bookings in the second half are on three- and four-star hotels, as guests try to avoid the premium brands for now.

MOVE also said travelers are regaining the confidence to make forward bookings more than 120 days ahead of departure. They are planning itineraries to Asia’s most popular destinations, with Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand topping the list.

As fares remain elevated, MOVE noted that two in five flights are booked between the 25th and fifth days of the month, closely aligning with the salary cycles in Asia.

“The pattern suggests that while travelers often begin researching and planning earlier, many of them choose to make the trip closer to payday periods, reflecting a more disciplined approach to discretionary spending,” MOVE said.

Travelers are likely to maintain this level of financial planning until the end of the year given the volatility of the aviation market, with jet fuel prices still hovering above $100 per barrel.

There is also a growing preference to go to international destinations that are within four hours of flight time. MOVE said this allows travelers to maximize their travel budgets and time.

To date, MOVE recorded a 14-percent increase in overseas flights under four hours. MOVE said if this trend holds, it will benefit markets with the widest networks of regional flights.

By demographics, MOVE said millennials are driving air travel these days, as it traces 43 percent of its bookings to individuals between 30 and 45.

Combined with the Gen Z demand, MOVE said two-thirds of bookings in its platform are made by younger travelers, strengthening the belief that travel is a necessity to them.

Patricia Evangelista named 2026 World Press Freedom Hero

Spotlight: Filipino journalist Patricia Evangelista named 2026 World Press Freedom Hero

For two decades, Patricia Evangelista has challenged official narratives and put a human face to the victims of state-sanctioned killings, memorialising those her government would prefer be forgotten

International Press Institute (IPI)
21 July 2026

Patricia Evangelista was a recent university graduate with a degree in communications when she heard that two young women she had gone to school with had been “disappeared” by the state military. 

“At that time, I didn’t even know that there was a different usage of the word ‘disappeared’…I was not aware my government was in the business of torture and murder,” Evangelista told IPI in an interview. “I felt the compulsion to find out what had happened.” 

On June 26, 2006, Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, student organisers at the University of the Philippines, were kidnapped by armed men, tortured, and accused of communist ties, a practice known as “red-tagging”.

For years, Evangelista covered their story. “I thought that the reason [the disappearances] were happening was because people didn’t know about it, and that if I wrote about it, it would stop.” On September 17, 2018, a Filipino general nicknamed “The Butcher” was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the abductions, yet the girls’ ultimate fate remains unknown. Last month marked the 20th anniversary of their disappearance. 

Since Cadapan and Empeño’s abductions, Evangelista has reported on an untold number of state-sanctioned killings and disappearances of civilians carried out by police and vigilantes as part of former Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s infamous “war on drugs.” For seven years, Evangelista worked as an investigative reporter for the Philippine news company Rappler, where she led the outlet’s award-winning “Impunity Series,” a longform, multimedia narrative account of the drug war. 

It was early in her time reporting on the extrajudicial killings (or, EJKs as they became known) that Evangelista realised her success as a journalist couldn’t necessarily be measured by a change in the government’s actions. Rather, she saw her role as a memory keeper, preserving the names and stories of the drug war’s victims despite the government’s attempts to erase them from societal memory. As she told IPI, “It’s about keeping a record.”

Over the course of the six-year drug war, Evangelista documented the human impact of violence, shedding light on the struggles of marginalised communities in the Philippines, culminating in her debut book “Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country.” In recognition of her courageous reporting, IPI is honoured to name Evangelista a 2026 World Press Freedom Hero.

Countering the official narrative

From the day he took office on June 30, 2016, Duterte and the members of the death squads that carried out his vision sought to justify the mass killings of civilians by labelling the victims as drug addicts and dealers that deserved to die. 

Evangelista has reported how police routinely falsified evidence, fabricated causes of death, and staged crime scenes to rationalise their targeting of some of the Philippines’ most impoverished communities.  

Through her reporting, Evangelista sought to counter the government narrative about the drug war’s victims by painting a fuller, truer picture of who they were. “You can’t reduce a victim of the drug war to just what happened to him. You have to see the whole person.” 

Justice for the survivors and families of the drug war’s victims has been, for the most part, nonexistent. As Evangelista put it, “truth, like safety, is a privilege very few can afford.” 

The government has acknowledged around 6,000 killings over the six-year course of Duterte’s administration. Human rights organisations believe the number of victims is much higher, with some estimates putting the total near 30,000. Yet due to the extrajudicial, often clandestine nature of the killings, the true number may never be known. 

“What we do as reporters, photographers, filmmakers, is we tell individual stories about individual lives that have been appended by what happened to them,” Evangelista said. “It’s like when a bullet goes through a brain, the exit wound is bigger than the entry. The radiating fractures are unpredictable, so we tell those stories to show the long term impact.” 

Who tells the story

“I meet a lot of people after they die,” Evangelista explained, describing where so many of her reports on the drug war began. “I start at a crime scene, or at the morgue, then I talk to their families…I get an image of the person, so I can tell people, this is who he is, this is who he was, and this is what happened to him.” 

Evangelista spent much of her time in the field, building trust with the surviving members of the victims’ families, many of whom were justifiably concerned about the risks of speaking out. “In the case of my book, it took a lot of courage for people to say, put my name to that story.” But in the end, most everyone eventually agreed.

In telling these human stories, Evangelista soon came to the realisation she was not just challenging the government narrative, but also the way many of her fellow citizens understood their country’s past and present. 

“For decades, the abuse of power by the state has been diligently documented by generations of journalists in my country,” Evangelista explained. Yet, “our relationship with history, with the past, is very negotiable.” 

“There will be people who read my book who will say ‘this is fake news, this is not real’…We [journalists] keep a record. And hopefully, if we do our jobs well enough, that record will matter someday.” 

On March 11, 2025, nearly three years after leaving power, Duterte was arrested under an International Criminal Court warrant and charged with crimes against humanity. He will be tried in The Hague, where — as Evangelista wrote in the days after his arrest — he will enjoy the due process his administration denied to his thousands of victims.  

The cost of bearing witness 

It was not long into her journalism career that Evangelista became acutely aware that her reporting on the human rights abuses of her government carried a certain amount of risk.

In November 2009, when she was still freelancing for several different newsrooms, Evangelista heard news of a massacre in the town of Maguindanao, during which 32 journalists were killed in one of the most deadly days for the press in recent history. In spite of the risk — and the cost — she spent her own money to fly down to cover the massacre. 

As the van Evangelista was travelling in with a group of other journalists approached a security checkpoint, an officer asked who they were. Evangelista recalls that after one of the group identified themselves as reporters, the security officer told them “good luck.” “It was then I understood there was no safety in numbers.”

Despite the explicit protections for press freedom codified in the Philippines’ constitution, the country remains one of the most dangerous in the world for the practice of journalism. Two journalists have been killed in the last six months alone, while many more are unjustly imprisoned on spurious charges ranging from money laundering to terrorism.

One young journalist, Frenchie Mae Cumpio, was just 21 years old when she was first arrested. In January 2026, she was sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in prison on spurious charges of financing terrorism.

“We remain one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, and this is at a time when newsrooms are shrinking and funding is disappearing,” Evangelista said. Under such a restrictive operating environment, some degree of self-censorship becomes inevitable. 

Every time she publishes a story, Evangelista makes a calculation. “Is this the story that will send me to jail? Is this the story that will get me killed?” And the one that haunts her the most: “Is this a story that will get someone else killed?”

About the World Press Freedom Hero Award

The IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero Award honours journalists who have made significant contributions to independent journalism, particularly in the face of great personal risk. The 2026 recipients of the award are Patricia Evangelista, Mónica González (Chile), and Hungary’s independent journalists.

Last year, as IPI marked its 75th anniversary, seven journalists from Ethiopia, Georgia, Hong Kong, Palestine, Peru, Ukraine, and the United States were named World Press Freedom Heroes. See all past award recipients.

This year’s awards will be presented together with the IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award at a special event at this year’s Gabo Festival (July 24-26, Bogotá, Colombia), the leading event for journalists in Ibero-America.

Mindanaoan student wins Top Global Architecture Prize

Mindanaoan student wins Top Global Architecture Prize

Yadu Karu
Facebook Post
20 July 2026

DAVAO CITY — A 23-year-old Mindanaoan architecture student made history as the first Filipino to be named Global Designer of the Year in the architectural category at the AYDA International Awards.

Ejhey L. Durias, a student at the University of Mindanao, earned top honors for his project “Banuas Lawod” (Aquaculture Community Hub). 

The design selected from more than 9,000 entries across 17 countries and regions preserves the Bajau community’s cultural identity while providing sustainable livelihoods.

The international finals were held from June 11 to 12 in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme “Converge: Crafting Cultural Legacies”. 

The winning design draws inspiration from scallop shells, traditional lepa houseboats, and the bahay kubo. It features flood-resilient homes, aquaculture facilities, rainwater harvesting, and reef-inspired foundations that restore marine ecosystems while protecting against storm surges.

"To take a Bajau home is to take their life," Durias said during his final presentation. "For them, home was never land. Home was the rhythm of tides beneath their feet."

Durias shaped the project through research and interviews with members of the Sama-Bajau community in Davao who faced displacement due to environmental pressures, armed conflict, and social exclusion.

Chen Lee Siong, general manager of Nippon Paint Philippines Inc., praised the project, noting that Durias successfully communicated both the architectural solution and the human story behind the Sama-Bajau community to an international jury.

With the victory, Durias earned a fully funded fellowship to the Design Discovery Program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts, valued at $10,000.

The Philippines also secured recognition in the interior design category, where Patria Danielle Malijan of De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde won the International Nippon Paint Colour Award for "KAMPIHAN," a project reimagining playground as cultural spaces for traditional games.

(Photo courtesy of Chaichana Thongsamrit)