Rappler's latest stories on Rappler in-depth stories
How to fight the pandemic: Women mayors don’t sugarcoat how deadly the virus is
In the face of an unseen enemy, communication down to the grassroots is key, according to the mayors of Odiongan, Romblon; Tabaco, Albay; Barugo, Leyte; Oras, Eastern Samar
In Pasig, fighting corruption yields COVID-19 cash aid for the people
Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto began his term by cleaning up the local government’s procurement process and auditing its assets. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the city had money to help every household, and then some.
With 2 years left in Duterte's term, where are we on Build, Build, Build?
Only 34% of the Duterte administration's flagship infrastructure projects are being implemented, so far
Legazpi City prepares a table for the quarantined
‘The local government should be felt. ’Pag nag-lockdown ka, ’tapos pinabayaan mo ang mga tao, ’wag ka na,’ says Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal
Nowhere to run: Why some abused sex workers don’t want cops’ help
Part 2: Even as sex workers or prostituted women claim they experience systematic abuse from the police, they are blamed when they are raped and told ‘it’s part of the job anyway’
House of terror: How the lower chamber let slip a 'killer' bill
The House of Representatives passes a controversial bill that could endanger the progressives, Moros, and Lumad among them due to terrorist-tagging
Do coronavirus restrictions threaten religious freedom?
From Washington to Manila, religious freedom is set to become one of the most enduring debates of the coronavirus era
‘Mas dapat magalit’: Filipino youth face dangerous future with anti-terror bill
The Filipino youth will bear the brunt of the anti-terror bill's long-lasting effects
Distance learning: A looming crisis for students with special needs
While distance learning for basic education students is a challenge, it's even more so for teachers figuring out how best to teach students with disabilities
Disorganized repatriation program puts E. Visayas rural healthcare at risk
(UPDATED) The 'Balik Probinsya' and 'Hatid Probinsya' programs are sending coronavirus-positive patients to their home provinces, where healthcare systems are fragile
Will the coronavirus kill Philippine theater?
Theater artists face a tough season as the pandemic rules out mass gatherings, but as the nation itself goes through this difficult chapter, Filipino thespians say the art of storytelling will flourish in adversity
Quarantine curbs access to information
The Philippines is among many governments in the world that had to suspend the processing of freedom of information or FOI requests because of the pandemic
'Panibagong problema': Fire leaves Addition Hills families helpless during pandemic
Barangay Addition Hills is a coronavirus hot spot in Mandaluyong City. A huge fire on June 1 leaves at least 1,000 families distraught over what will happen next.
OFWs struggle through prolonged quarantine in gov’t 'VIP treatment'
Caught in a maze of tests and government requirements, returning overseas Filipino workers stuck in quarantine are forced to hustle just to get home
On their own: Commuters and the looming transportation crisis in Metro Manila
More commuters are seen to shift to alternative modes of transportation, as the capacity of public transportation will be reduced come GCQ
No-touch faucets, rapid tests: Big business adjusts to coronavirus
UV lights, faucets with motion sensors, and visual cues for physical distancing are just some of the latest trends as businesses reopen
OFWs in Dubai battle coronavirus, too
Most OFWs in Dubai opt to share living quarters to save on rent. They also become more vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus.
‘Walang malapitan’: Stranded 'probinsyanos' feel abandoned by Duterte gov’t
As President Rodrigo Duterte prioritizes stranded OFWs, 'probinsyanos' stranded in Metro Manila struggle to find ways to return home
Bong Go regularly given airtime in state media broadcasts on coronavirus
The longtime Duterte aide, criticized for being 'epal,' is featured in almost every episode of Laging Handa PH, a public briefing supposed to be dedicated to COVID-19
Will public transportation be enough once Metro Manila is placed under GCQ?
(UPDATED) With the pandemic, the Department of Transportation finds a golden opportunity to push the controversial PUV modernization from the back burner
As donor fatigue hits volunteers amid prolonged lockdown, they keep going
Where government falls short of providing aid to the poor and vulnerable, private donors step in
Hospitals in the Philippines: Where they are – and aren’t
There is a big difference between urban centers and remote areas, echoed by a stark contrast in poverty incidence
As businesses reopen, workers remain anxious over virus risks
The risks are aggravated by how workers may lose their jobs if they fail to report to work
Child sex abuse material now peddled for as low as P100 on Twitter
(UPDATED) PART 2 | EXCLUSIVE: Child sexual abuse has gone from the obscurity of the dark web into free and widely-used social media platforms
To cross coronavirus border, prostituted women abused by cops first
The coronavirus pandemic unmasks yet again the abusive relationship between the police and prostituted women. Local governments have not been of much help.
Alter Twitter’s awful side: Leaked private sex videos for sale
(UPDATED) PART 1 | EXCLUSIVE: Victims are left helpless while their private videos are spread online and sold by anonymous Twitter accounts patronized by thousands of followers
Double whammy: BPO employees get exposed to COVID-19, lose income
BPO workers who get exposed to the virus while on the job have to quarantine themselves without regular pay
Children deal with abuse, fears of coronavirus in 'Houses of Hope'
Rights groups call for the urgent release of children dealing with abusive conditions in some youth detention centers, now compounded by the coronavirus threat
Forgotten priority: PWDs still waiting for cash aid from Duterte gov't
Months after the Duterte government launched its cash aid program, there are still persons with disabilities – the target priorities for the program – who have yet to receive a peso
Duterte's final gambit to end insurgency: task force vs communists
If the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict sees the ABS-CBN shutdown as a counterinsurgency issue, that's because the task force is meant to sniff out 'rebel influence' from anywhere
Gov’t platforms being used to attack, red-tag media
Supposedly at the helm of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, the PCOO reposts misleading content against media from an anti-communist government page
Till their last breath, Fil-Am health care workers give all vs COVID-19
At least 60 Filipino health care workers have died from the novel coronavirus disease, as the United States continues to grapple with the pandemic
[FRONTLINERS] Iloilo town doctor keeps clinic open: 'Every human life is precious'
Despite her fears, Dr Judith Jimeno's clinic in Leganes town, Iloilo remains open for non-coronavirus patients. It's part of her passion to save lives.
During coronavirus lockdown: Abused women, children more vulnerable
A drop in reported cases of abuse during the lockdown may not be good news as it could point to victims having a harder time reporting crimes to authorities
Filipino nurses: The world's frontliners vs the coronavirus
With the coronavirus pandemic, Filipino nurses are thrust to the front lines across the globe, bound by a duty to care for the sickest
56,000 words on the virus: Duterte's crisis messaging all bluster, little science
More than 3 months into the coronavirus crisis, Duterte’s messaging is just more of the same. But a crisis often demands flexibility and the willingness to communicate what people need to hear.
Frontliners, too: Meet some young Fil-Ams braving the coronavirus pandemic
Outside of the health care profession, these young Filipino-Americans work silently day in and out, putting their lives on the line to serve others
Surviving COVID-19: How a Fil-Am nurse and his family fought coronavirus at home
Owing to the couples' frontline experience, a father and his son recovered from the potentially fatal disease
Coronavirus in Singapore: 'Wala silang puso para sa foreign worker'
(UPDATED) Neglecting migrant workers for decades catches up with Singapore as it battles the coronavirus
Coronavirus lockdown pushes farmers, fisherfolk into deeper poverty
It took a pandemic for the national government to realize the need to buy directly from farmers
[FRONTLINERS] QC garbage collector: Call of duty is keeping homes safe from disease
Alquin Flores knows there are people who look down on his job. But he vows to keep on collecting their trash to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Hoarding medicine: Fighting lupus during the COVID-19 pandemic
Lupus patients struggle to find supplies of a drug they've taken for years when it becomes a potential cure for COVID-19
Coronavirus response: Online outrage drowns out Duterte propaganda machine
After President Rodrigo Duterte orders soldiers and cops to 'shoot dead' quarantine violators, Filipinos' frustrations reach a tipping point on social media
Undocumented in a pandemic: Thousands of Filipinos in UK suffer in silence over COVID-19
Advocates and lobbyists urge the UK government to now grant legal status to all undocumented migrants and refugees
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Frontliners on their fears, hopes during the pandemic
Rappler speaks to several Filipinos in the front lines of the battle against COVID-19
IN LIMBO: Poor families still await subsidies during coronavirus lockdown
Three weeks into the government's emergency subsidy program, around 75% of qualified families nationwide are still waiting to receive aid
[FRONTLINERS] Volunteer shuttle driver overcomes fear of virus to serve others
Out of a job due to the lockdown, Victor Lero decides to volunteer as a shuttle driver for health workers in Metro Manila. He is scared of COVID-19, but he braves the front lines to keep his family alive and help other Filipinos.
[FRONTLINERS] ‘May kasal pa ako, Lord!’
'It's quite a scary and exhausting time to be a doctor. So we just need to protect ourselves and serve who we can,' says a pediatrician whose wedding has been postponed by the pandemic.
Overseas Warriors: Up close with UAE’s Filipino nurses during the pandemic
There are about 30,000 Filipino nurses in the United Arab Emirates, many of them working in the front lines. One of them proclaims she is an Overseas Filipino Warrior.
'Takot na takot kami': While government stalls, coronavirus breaks into PH jails
Like the prisoners, their families also feel trapped with nowhere to go. Their fear is compounded by the agonizing wait for the Duterte government's action.
