This week, four policemen from Quezon province were found guilty for the attempted murder of pedicab driver Roger Herrero. On November 1, 2018, Roger was begging for his life as police put a gun to his head. “Wag po sir, maawa po kayo, apat po mga anak ko, maliliit pa," begging for his four children.

“Magdasal ka na!" (pray now!) the policeman said, before pulling the trigger.

Latest Aerial Views Of China's Artificial Islands In The South China Sea

Airfields, buildings, recreational facilities, and other structures are seen on the artificial islands built by China in these pictures taken on October 25, 2022 in the Spratly Islands, South China Sea. China has progressively asserted its claim of ownership over disputed islands in the South China Sea by artificially increasing the size of islands, creating new islands and building ports, military outposts and airstrips.

(Images: Mischief Reef)

You fall in-line at 3AM, defying curfew and risk getting arrested. The line is long - half a kilometer long or more. Social distancing is optional - that is if you want someone else to cut the line in front of you. You sit on the pavement and hold your spot for hours until 7 or 8AM, only to find out you didn't make the cutoff. You are told to come back tomorrow and try again.

This is how difficult it is to get a vaccine in some parts of Metro Manila these days.

The elephant in the room.

It's early September of 2017, in a rundown funeral parlour in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, Lina Gabriel was preparing to give a live TV interview on one of the country's top networks. It's been nearly a month since her son, 14-year-old Reynaldo De Guzman, went missing from their Taytay, Rizal neighborhood.

Nope. I have nothing to gain from raising awareness on this issue. Why should I care? Kung sarili ko lang iisipin ko wala naman akong kailangan pa. May trabaho ako—sumasahod ako at nabubuhay ng komportable. At the end of the day I can just keep quiet and live happily ever after. The only reason I'm doing this is because I've grown sick and tired of seeing friends and colleagues give up their dreams and quit because the industry has systematically exploited them of their passion and hard work.

Here's another disgusting story of a multi-billion-peso network asking for free work: (thread) Wilson Paguyo, an OFW working as a chef in Paris, was one of many Filipinos whose work was put on hold after French authorities implemented a strict lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Depressing scenes yesterday at Manila North Harbor as dozens of locally stranded individuals are crammed inside shipping containers. They were left stranded after ferry rides were suspended due to the reimposed lockdown amid the resurgence of coronavirus cases. According to them, they are only fed one meal every other day and often fight over donations from volunteers and leftovers of soldiers guarding the port.

We had no idea at all.

A day before we were just told to meet up at a specified place and time. We were not advised at all what we were gonna cover. They just told us that it was really important and that we should come. (thread) At the meetup the next afternoon, they didn’t tell us anything. They just told us to get ready to convoy. Only the leaders of our group knew — but even then they wouldn’t tell the rest of us. I guess it was for everyone’s protection, in case the intel turned out to be negative.

Do you remember the kid who, while playing with his friends in their Tondo neighborhood, was shot dead by a police officer out of nowhere? And do you remember the police officer's excuse? It was an accident he said, that while patrolling the area he tripped and accidentally fired his gun.

(Thread) Outside a facility where those presumed to have died of the coronavirus are taken to be cremated, Lydia Aquino holds a bag containing the ashes of her brother-in-law Sonny Aquino. Sonny succumbed to pneumonia as he waited for days for his test result for the coronavirus. Due to slow and limited testing capacity, many patients in the Philippines have died before receiving their test result.

MISSING (a thread) At a public cemetery up north, there exists a place for dead bodies that have no identities.

One boy dead. Another boy missing.

Friends Joshua Laxamana and Julius Santiago Sebastian were last seen over two weeks ago when they went on a trip to Baguio to take part in a DOTA tournament. None of them would make it back. (continued in thread) Four days later—Joshua's mother, Kristine, would find his son's bullet-riddled body at a morgue in Pangasinan. He had been killed by police.

“Patay na siya. Kawawa naman.”

This was the chilling last message May received from the phone of her boyfriend Harold—sent by the killer himself.

(continued in thread) About an hour before, Harold was able to send one final message which sent May into panic. “Nahuli kami.” She could only fear for the worst.