By Benjie de Ubago

At a time when disinformation, alternatives facts and outright lies prevail in our society with theatrics thrown in for effects, esteemed journalist, Christian Esguerra  is one of the few remaining  journalists standing tall.  With his Christian values intact, he remains a purveyor of the Truth.

Esguerra (photo below left) was invited to speak last 26 February 2024 by Professor Paul Hotchcroft  (photo below on the right) at the Philippine Institute at the Australian National University (ANU) to speak on “The Filipino Journalists Struggle from Duterte Populism to Marcosian Nostalgia.“ His lecture examines “the Philippine situation after enduring Duterte and tackles the journalists’ struggle and a culture of intolerance for free speech and critical thought”

Christian Esguerra (left) with Professor Paul Hotchcroft of the Australian National University, Canberra.

His weeknight show “Facts First” is live streamed Monday through till Friday at 8.30pm (Manila time) on social media (you tube, facebook etc). The podcast deep dives into the political and social ills of the Philippines and the burning issues of the day. His highly respected nightly guests are adept in their respective fields, highly respected, credible and are backed with years of experience, thus providing insightful information to their viewers.  Together, they slowly peel off, one layer at a time –  fact after fact –  to reveal the whole truth for their viewers. The show is grounded on journalistic ethics, delivered professionally and occasionally sprinkled with a little humour.

Esguerra himself  has over 20 years experience in journalism having gone through the media hoops  – as a reporter/journalist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and as a broadcaster/anchor/managing editor for ABS-CBN. His “Facts First” program is fast gaining viewers world-wide on cyber space.  He remains steadfast with his values and in his aim is to educate and inform his viewers. “I am biased against thieves, plunderers, trapos, and peddlers of disinformation.  If you’re not, you need to seriously re-evaluate your moral compass” says Christian.

As a UST alumnus and a current UST professor, Esguerra took the time while in Sydney to also meet with some members of the UST Alumni Australia (USTAA) and ‘FACTnatics’. (photo below)

USTAA members and other FACTnatics with Christian Esguerra.

Esguerra is a recipient of the Fellow of the Marshall McLuhan Fellowship 2020,  The Titus Brandsma Awardee for Emergent Leadership in Journalism 2019, the  Dr Pio Valenzuela  Award 2019, Award of Distinction – Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) 2019, and was honoured recently by the San Beda Alumni Association for journalistic excellence.”

Undoubtedly, Esguerra remains one of the few journalists standing tall with integrity whom we can absolutely trust.

4 March 2024