The stories that shook the regions in 2024

CEBU, Philippines – 2024 was the year that took seismic tales from the provinces and towns to the big screens and chambers of the Congress of the Philippines and Malacañang.

Rappler’s regions cluster made it a point to bring readers from distant places closer to the news that concerned their welfare and the country’s overall state of affairs — tackling multi-faceted issues on economics, politics, human rights, and the environment.

On many occasions, our stories were gathered from social media posts by concerned netizens, tips from our readers on the Rappler Communities app, and talks with experts and the everyday Filipino.

The challenge? Tying together these stories from different locales and contexts into a tapestry of information that may serve the people and its thought leaders: advocates, changemakers, academics and even the young nation builders of tomorrow. We dedicate our work to them. 

Here are those stories from the regions. 

Chasing POGOs

Throughout the year, we spent days and weeks following the trail of human trafficking and violence left by suspected syndicates and their cohorts from the north of the country all the way down to the south.

Our research and investigation brought us to Bamban, Tarlac in March, where the first of a series of “scam hub” raids conducted nationwide was launched. We looked at documents and evidence that linked Bamban Mayor Alice Guo to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hubs.

After President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s declaration of a ban on POGOs in July, the region cluster reported on the first illegal POGO hub uncovered in the Visayas — the Tourist Garden Hotel in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

It didn’t take long for our reporters to pick up on another POGO hub found in Cagayan de Oro, which Santa Rosa City Representative Dan Fernandez claimed had links to Tony Yang, the older brother of Rodrigo Duterte’s former economic adviser, Michael Yang.

DENR and vloggers

This year also saw the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and local officials getting heat from lawmakers over the management of protected areas with evidence surprisingly coming from vloggers and social media posts.

One particular case was the controversial resort being built on the Chocolate Hills of Bohol. The story went viral after content creator Ren The Adventurer’s aerial view video showed parts of the Captain’s Peak Resort’s structures were found on the foot of the hills. 

Another similar case of resort owners allegedly “defacing” natural resources was that of the painting of boulders and rocks along the Asia River in Murcia town, Negros Occidental. Local officials learned about what was being done to the river through viral social media posts.

PNP-KOJC Showdown

All eyes were on Davao City during the weeks-long confrontation between police and members of doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).

In August, tensions flared as KOJC members took to the streets to protest against police attempting to find and arrest Quiboloy. Police-Davao spokesperson Major Catherine dela Rey said in a news conference on August 29, that 60 police personnel were wounded as a result of the operations.

Davao journalists also decried several instances of maltreatment and intimidation from Quiboloy’s supporters who criticized the media for being “biased.” Authorities later got the doomsday preacher in their custody on September 8. 

2025 poll prequel

From October 1 to 8, the regions cluster visited the local offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to report on the big and lesser-known names entering the political battlefield for the upcoming 2025 polls.

Political dynasties were the “main course” for topics on our stories, starting off with Rodrigo “Rigo” Duterte II, son of Congressman Paolo Duterte and the former president’s namesake. Rigo is making his bid for a councilor post of the first district of Davao City.

“Star for All Seasons” Vilma Santos is also running with her sons. Luis Manzano and Ryan Christian Santos-Recto formalized their candidacies for Batangas vice governor and 6th district representative, respectively. The mother is vying for Batangas governor.

We also saw some interesting and controversial personalities like alleged Visayas drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, filing his certificate of candidacy for the Albuera, Leyte mayoral seat. 

In a press conference on October 5, Espinosa urged the International Criminal Court to investigate the death of his father, former Albuera mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. He also asked former senator Leila de Lima to forgive him for linking her to the illegal drug trade in 2016.

Near the end of the filing period, an unexpected reveal shook the polling center in Davao. No other than the former president Rodrigo Duterte himself filed his certificate of candidacy for his old post, Davao City mayor.

He will be going up against former Civil Service Commission chairman and ex-Cabinet secretary  Karlo Nograles and Davao-based preacher Rodolfo Cubos, setting the stage for what’s to come in the city where the infamous drug war campaign began. – Rappler.com