‘Rappler Investigates’ to launch on Radyo Veritas with anti-corruption group TAPAT

MANILA, Philippines – Rappler’s investigative reportage on infrastructure corruption will now be available to listeners and viewers of Radyo Veritas, through a collaboration with anti-corruption group TAPAT, or Taongbayan Action for Participatory, Accountable and Transparent Governance.

Starting on Friday, February 20, “Rappler Investigates,” a special 10-minute segment featuring Rappler journalists, will air as part of Sabadiha!, a weekly blocktime show hosted by TAPAT on Radyo Veritas, a leading Catholic radio station and broadcast network.

Sabadiha! airs every Friday, from 5 pm to 6 pm on dzRV Veritas 846-Radyo Veritas. The show is also livestreamed on Radyo Veritas’ Facebook page, and on television, on VeritasTV (Channel 211 on Sky Cable and Channel 313 on Cignal). 

Sabadiha! is hosted by leaders of TAPAT: show producer and journalist Flordeliz Abanto, Max Ventura, lawyer Bok Labastilla, and Akbayan president Rafaela David. Rappler has committed to providing 12 “Rappler Investigates” episodes for airing during the Sabadiha program.

During each episode, Rappler reporters and editors will discuss their investigative reporting on flood control and other infrastructure projects — from the process it took to piece together the report, why it matters to Filipinos, and what the story says about corruption in the country. All of Rappler’s investigative reporting on the topic is compiled in this page.

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Abanto, Sabadiha’s producer, welcomed the collaboration.

“Since we do not have resources to conduct investigative reports, we explored the possibility of collaborating with Rappler, known for its incisive and data-driven journalism,” she said on Monday, February 16.

The goal of the show, and the partnership with Rappler, is to widen the discussion on fighting abuse of power and state resources.

“Its goal is to expand the platform in reaching a critical mass who will be able to understand issues surrounding corruption, beyond the daily grind of newscasts and news bites, and give them agency to act and hold corrupt people accountable for their crimes,” said Abanto.

Widening the reach of corruption monitoring

To kick off the collaboration, Rappler managing editor Miriam Grace Go and head of community Pia Ranada sat in as guests of the Sabadiha! program on February 13, a week before the airing of the first “Rappler Investigates” episode. Watch the interview here.

During the program, Ranada said that Rappler decided to pursue the collaboration to reach more Filipinos, noting that a wide segment of the population continues to listen to radio.

Go and Ranada also promoted Rappler’s crowdsourcing initiative, #CorruptionWatch, in which citizens are encouraged to send their tips or stories about potential corruption in their communities to a public chat room on the Rappler app. The app is free to download for iOS or Android phone users.

TAPAT is a civil society group that aims to get more Filipinos actively engaged in corruption monitoring. Back in October 2025, together with church-based groups, they had signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Department of Public Works and Highways, then already under Secretary Vince Dizon, for more transparency in government infrastructure projects.

The launch of “Rappler Investigates” on Radyo Veritas was timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted the Marcos dictatorship. The radio station played a pivotal role during the revolution, as it broadcast messages of the late Cardinal Jaime Sin urging citizens to go to EDSA to protect the civilian and military leaders who led the revolt against the Marcos regime.

Rappler will also air the “Rappler Investigates” episode on its website, Facebook, and YouTube accounts, the day after its first airing on Radyo Veritas. – Rappler.com