PODKAS

Daga: More Than Pests


Listen Later

More than just a pest, the rat is an unacknowledged actor in Philippine history, its story intertwined with our own from prehistoric times to the modern day. This episode uncovers that hidden narrative, from the extinct giant cloud rats that coexisted with ancient humans to the arrival of invasive species that brought centuries of agricultural plagues and colonial-era disease. It examines the rat's evolution into a public health enemy, the target of post-war military campaigns, and a potent cultural symbol—euphemized as "mabait" in folklore while weaponized as the namesake for a brutal paramilitary group. With this journey, we find that rats reflect our society's failures in agriculture, urbanization, and waste management, proving that the rat's story is inseparable from our own.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

PODKASBy Podkas Team

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

7 ratings


More shows like PODKAS

View all
Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,079 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,670 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,540 Listeners

The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

The NPR Politics Podcast

25,891 Listeners

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,159 Listeners

Explain It to Me by Vox

Explain It to Me

7,847 Listeners

Today, Explained by Vox

Today, Explained

10,236 Listeners

Behind the Bastards by Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts

Behind the Bastards

15,542 Listeners

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend by Team Coco & Earwolf

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend

59,391 Listeners

SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

SmartLess

58,247 Listeners

Teka Teka by PumaPodcast

Teka Teka

6 Listeners

Guerrilla History by Guerrilla History

Guerrilla History

601 Listeners

How to Be a Better Human by TED

How to Be a Better Human

1,377 Listeners

Critics at Large | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

Critics at Large | The New Yorker

630 Listeners