Good Friday, April 3, 2026.

Congressman Egay Erice of Caloocan's 2nd District raised the question: have Filipinos become the cruelty we claim to fight? This episode explores the cruel streak running through our online culture — kuyog, cancel culture, red-tagging, political tribalism, and how social media rewards the loudest and most extreme voices.

From the data on Filipino internet usage to the psychological roots of our aggression, this piece examines why we direct our energy at each other instead of the systems that keep us down.

This episode is narrated using AI voice, designed for listeners who prefer audio while driving, commuting, or doing everyday tasks. The full written version with sources is available where you found this post.

Topics covered:

• Online cruelty and social media culture in the Philippines

• Kuyog, ekis culture, and cancel culture

• The role of disinformation in political polarization

• What this is doing to our children

• The Good Friday question: which role are we playing?

This piece was originally published on April 2, 2026.

Seventy-one gas stations were caught violating fuel regulations during a supply crisis. The DOE issued show-cause orders, but only two lost their permits. This episode breaks down what the government called a crackdown, why 400 stations went dark without explanation, and why the law's teeth remain unused while Filipinos keep waiting at the pump.

This episode is voiced using AI narration.

The New York Times has 14 human moderators for 200,000 comments a month. NPR runs every comment through three filters. Reuters gave up and removed comments entirely. This episode breaks down how the biggest news networks abroad are fighting trolls and misinformation in their comment sections, what's actually working, and what it all means for the Philippines where AI-powered troll farms are scaling faster than anyone expected. A Morning Coffee Thoughts breakdown on the global battle for clean online discourse.

On the road to Dinggalan, sacks of onions line the roadside for as little as 50 to 200 pesos each. Farmers in Nueva Ecija are drowning in losses while traders and importers profit from a broken system. This episode digs into the numbers, the cold storage problem, import timing during harvest season, and why this crisis keeps repeating every few years. A Morning Coffee Thoughts deep dive into the structural failure behind the rotting sibuyas.

I can’t be at EDSA today, as much as I want to. My health no longer allows me to join rallies, so this episode is my way of standing with everyone out there.

In this first Morning Coffee Thoughts podcast, I talk about why we need to stop electing corrupt political dynasties, how their decisions damage our everyday lives, and why it’s time to give good governance a real chance—for our own sake and for the country that’s already hurting so much.