The International Discussion Series is back (in-person)! The Bechtel International Center will be hosting 5 international journalism fellows at the center every Wednesday until May 10th. Our next talk, on April 26th, will feature  JSK fellow and journalist Pia Ranada, who will be discussing the future of democracy in the Philippines. Lunch will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. RSVP below. For more information on the speakers and discussion topics, check out the event posting here. This is a series and will take place every Wednesday at 12 PM.

From Duterte to Marcos Jr.: Where are Philippine politics and democracy headed?

What do the electoral victories of the Dutertes and Marcoses say about Philippine politics, voters, and the power of social media? What lies in store for one of Asia’s oldest democracies and what are the implications for the press and civil society? JSK fellow and Rappler senior reporter Pia Ranada shares her insights, hewn from years of political reporting, and sharpened by months spent in Stanford. She is best known for her probing coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte, which prompted him to ban her from the presidential palace during his final term in office, which ended in June 2022. During her time covering Duterte, Ranada used frequent invitations to speak to academic and news industry groups to advocate for press freedom as the president became increasingly aggressive in his efforts to force Rappler to close. 

Speaker Profile

Pia Ranada is senior political reporter at Rappler, a news website and social news network based in Metro Manila. She is best known for her probing coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte, which prompted him to ban her from the presidential palace during his final term in office, which ended in June 2022. 

During her time covering Duterte, Ranada used frequent invitations to speak to academic and news industry groups to advocate for press freedom as the president became increasingly aggressive in his efforts to force Rappler to close. 

Ranada also hosts a podcast, Seat of Power, on political leadership for Rappler and a one-on-one interview show called Rappler Talk Newsmaker in which she interviews top government officials, politicians and advocates. In addition to politics, Ranada has reported extensively on the environment, climate change and the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.