Your Titos kick off 2026 and the Philippines is already deep in political drama.

First up: The Barzaga vs. Razón cyber libel showdown. A 110 million peso lawsuit for calling out a billionaire industrialist. Is it accountability or a SLAPP lawsuit straight from the American playbook? We break down how Filipino politicians are watching US news and copying strategies in real time. Same lawsuits. Same political theater. Same playbook just a week behind what's happening in the US.

Then: The dangerous martyrdom complex. "If I die, the truth will finally come out." We need to stop romanticizing sacrifice. Nobody has to die for change to happen. Submit the evidence. Follow the process. But instead, we get telenovela drama, politicians performing victimhood for sympathy instead of demanding accountability while they're still breathing.

Sara Duterte's impeachment is back for round two. Will anything happen? Probably not. It's theater—designed to damage reputations, not deliver justice.

And the Cabral case? Already forgotten. No follow-up. No outrage. Swept under the rug.

We see the patterns. Do you?#BornHereBornThere #FilipinoPodcast #PhilippinePolitics

Happy New Year... now let's talk about the mess.

Your Titos are back to break down the Philippines' chaotic transition into 2026. We're covering the long-awaited Discaya arrest (finally!), but asking the real question: is one contractor enough to satisfy a nation demanding accountability?

Then we dive deep into the Cathy Cabral case, the veteran civil engineer and alleged whistleblower whose "suicide" has more holes than a ghost infrastructure project. Convenient selfies, missing files, no entourage, and a body found at the exact site of an overpriced flood control project? We're not buying it.

Plus: Congressman Richard Gomez physically assaults the Philippine Olympic Committee president on camera... and faces zero consequences. Classic.

We end with a call to action: If there's going to be a revolution, maybe don't hold it at EDSA again. Just a thought.

This episode: Corruption accountability, conspiracy theories, and why your Titos are exhausted but still watching.

What happens when an action star promises every Filipino a million pesos to solve poverty? Senator Robin Padilla's absurd presidential campaign pitch isn't just bad math (113 trillion pesos for a 6 trillion peso budget)—it's a symptom of Philippine politics' deepest problem: nobody has clean enough hands to point fingers.

Your Titos dissect Padilla's colorful past from jail conversions to senate floor fights, and why his populist play mirrors tactics from Elon Musk's Pennsylvania lottery to global technocrat oligarchies. But the real story is President Marcos Jr.'s four strategic bills—from blockchain transparency to anti-dynasty legislation co-authored by... a dynasty. The Marcoses are playing 4D chess while Sara Duterte watches the doors close behind her.

When everyone's compromised, who's left to demand accountability? 26 minutes of uncomfortable truths about power, corruption, and mirror images between Philippine and American politics.

When a Philippine government official suggested Filipinos could celebrate Noche Buena on a 500 peso budget, the internet erupted. In this episode, Manolo and Ricky unpack why this tone-deaf recommendation hit such a raw nerve with Filipino families everywhere. From the sacred tradition of the Christmas Eve feast to the reality of today's prices, we explore what happens when elite officials tell ordinary citizens how to budget for their most cherished holiday traditions. Is this scandal a convenient distraction from ongoing corruption investigations? And why does this feel eerily similar to what's happening in America with affordability debates? Join your favorite Titos as they break down the math, the outrage, and the deeper issues of delicadeza in Philippine politics.

Ricky and Manolo get deeply personal as they explore what it truly felt like when Ricky became a US citizen in 2019 during Trump's presidency. This isn't just facts and dates; it's raw emotions, complicated feelings, and the harsh reality of how many Filipinos voted for Trump believing the "model minority" myth that they were somehow "not like" other immigrants.

Both hosts dig deep into this painful irony: achieving citizenship under a president whose policies targeted immigrants, while some in their community thought they'd be exempt. They examine this false sense of exception and how personal milestones get forever tied to political moments. It's vulnerable, honest, and unflinching.

The flood control scandal just got personal. Zaldy Co drops a video claiming the Philippine President ordered him to deliver ₱25 billion in cash-filled suitcases! But is it even real or just another deepfake? Manolo & Ricky dissect the latest bombshell, questioning everything from the video's authenticity to why Bong Bong Marcos would launch an investigation he's now accused of orchestrating. They explore how corruption became entertainment, why Filipino-Americans can't look away despite having "no skin in the game," and the uncomfortable parallels between billionaire influence here and there. From Blue Ribbon Committee theater to Elon Musk, it's all the same show.

Manolo and Ricky both married white women. One grew up in America surrounded by Filipinos he thought might be cousins. The other grew up in Manila and never imagined dating outside his race. Now they're both navigating what it means to raise mixed-race kids who look Filipino but don't speak Tagalog—and whose white moms cook better Filipino food than they do.

But this isn't just about food or language. It's about the unspoken social elevation that comes with having a white partner in Filipino culture. The assumptions strangers make when you walk into a restaurant together. The moment your kid's friends realize "wait, your mom is WHITE?" And the harder conversations: Are you Filipino if you've never lived there? When do you get to call yourself American? And how do you teach your kids about a culture you're not sure you understand yourself?

Ricky admits he deliberately chose to date white women to help him navigate American life—a 90% practical decision he's now watching play out as his son asks questions about identity. Manolo's white daughters defend their Filipino brother fiercely, while his wife speaks better Tagalog and makes better kinilaw than he does.

Because maybe the hardest part isn't the cultural differences. Maybe it's realizing your spouse had to work harder to embrace your culture than you ever did.

Plus: Why instant coffee tastes like home, the passive-aggressive communication styles both their wives have to deal with, and why neither of them knows how to make meatloaf.

Two Filipino Americans. Two white wives. One very real conversation about code-switching, identity, and appreciating the work your partner puts in to meet you halfway.