The year 2025 overwhelmed us with controversies, cliffhangers (fate of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, anyone?), and plot twists worthy of a Netflix series. In the Rappler newsroom, it also presented an exciting challenge: how to untangle the mess, make sense of the conflicting narratives, and tune out the noise so we can focus on the facts and the action needed?

This year, our team made many shifts to zero in on the issues our community most cares about.

We were laser-focused on pushing for good governance and accountability, as well as fighting corruption and manipulation. We did our best to stay true to our North Star: to go for impact, rather than just page views and clicks.

This year’s list of Rappler’s Most Impactful Stories and Initiatives in 2025 embodies this collective effort.

They are the blood, sweat, tears, and joy of our Core managers, editors, reporters, community engagement staff, artists, video producers and editors, researchers, fact-checkers, production specialists, fellows, volunteers, and support staff.

The nine stories and four initiatives that made it to the list were chosen by our cluster and unit heads based on four indicators of impact:

• Did the initiative lead to a shift in policy? (Probe launched, decision reversed or amended, action stopped, etc.)
• Did the initiative nudge a powerful individual or group to respond in a meaningful way? (We don’t count “no comment.” The story should have been important enough for a powerful entity that is usually silent to respond with a statement, press conference, etc.)
• Did the initiative catalyze a broad and engaging discussion about an issue that has never been reported on or brought out in the open? (indicators of this can be significant online and offline engagement on the issue, meaningful feedback from people affected by the issue who can attest to the impact of the story)
• Did the initiative lead to any observable change in an issue or sector? (indicators can be documentation of the change through photos, videos, recordings, and testimonials of individuals or groups)

Vote for your favorite impactful story and initiative, win a prize

We want to hear from you. What do you think is our most impactful work this year from the list below? 

You can vote one each under these two categories: Most Impactful Story, and Most Impactful Civic Engagement Initiative.

Tap the button below to go straight to the voting form, or read through detailed explanations of each story and initiative by scrolling down further.

You must be registered on your Rappler account to vote. You can register or log in here, for free. Voting closes on January 2, 2026. 

After voting, you will receive a confirmation email asking if you would like to explain your choices. This feedback helps us understand how you define impact, and how we can do even more meaningful work next year. We ask you to send your vote explanation to the Volunteer Opportunities chat room on the Rappler app.

The voters who contribute the best explanation will win a limited edition Rappler x Linya-Linya #MabutiPa t-shirt. 

Do you want to help us continue with our impactful work in 2026? You can do so by contributing to our crowdfunding campaign, or by becoming a Rappler+ member.

Here are the most impactful stories and initiatives by Rappler in 2025

Category 1: Most Impactful Story

1. A Rappler investigative report on justice undersecretary Jojo Cadiz leads to an Ombudsman probe and his resignation.

Reporter Lian Buan’s exclusive on Jojo Cadiz, a trusted aide of President Marcos, disclosed that his university student son owns a firm that managed to win contracts in Ilocos Norte, the President’s home province and bailiwick. A day after the story’s publication, Malacañang said Cadiz has resigned. Ombudsman Boying Remulla also announced a probe, citing the article as among its bases. 

2. This report bolstered municipal fishers’ petitions to keep their fishing grounds away from commercial fishing operators.

Rappler first exposed in December 2024 that the Supreme Court had affirmed the decision of a regional trial court allowing a commercial fisher to fish within municipal waters, an area usually designated for small fisherfolk. In 2025, various groups referred to this story by reporter Iya Gozum in their petitions to intervene in the case.

3. Rappler was first to report on Zaldy Co’s businesses, laying the foundation for a national conversation on public works corruption.

Even before Zaldy Co became embroiled in controversies over public works projects, Rappler had already investigated the business interests of the resigned congressman and former chair of the House appropriations committee. Rappler reporter Dwight de Leon and former business reporter Kaycee Valmonte wrote about Co’s construction empire four months before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced his flood control contracts probe during his State of the Nation Address last July. The second story in this two-part exclusive found that, though Co had sold his stake in the scandal-plagued infrastructure firm Sunwest, his family, and friends continued to be active shareholders of other businesses closely tied to the company.

4. Rappler’s Politicontractors map brings secrets about conflict of interest, corruption into the national spotlight.

Our Politicontractors map visualizes the proliferation of public officials with ties to firms that have bagged public works contracts. The map collated journalistic work, bolstered by citizen tips, bringing the open secrets tainting communities into the national spotlight. The term used by Rappler, “politicontractors,” is now used by civil society groups and budget watchdogs. The map is the work of Lian Buan, Dwight de Leon, Jairo Bolledo, Jodesz Gavilan, and James Patrick Cruz.

5. A series of Rappler reports uncovers the controversies behind the Villar business empire, leading to government sanctions.

The year 2025 is when the myth behind the Philippines’ former richest man, Manuel “Manny” Villar, was shattered. Villar had built a reputation for being Mr. Sipag at Tiyaga — wealth earned through diligence and perseverance. But the controversies involving a number of his business companies in 2025, including water concessionaire PrimeWater and Siquijor island’s then-power supplier, SIPCOR, show how badly the Villars have mixed business with public service. Rappler business columnist Val Villanueva’s series of Vantage Point articles, starting in March 2025, on the former Senate president’s property holding firm, Villar Land (formerly Golden MV Holdings), provides the most comprehensive output by a Philippine news publisher on what is undoubtedly the biggest financial scandal of the year. Months later, the Securities and Exchange Commission would sanction the parties involved. Rappler also has this exclusive by former reporter Kaycee Valmonte on the difficulties faced by a number of suppliers of the Villar family’s coffee venture, Coffee Project.

6. A Rappler report on Senator Francis Escudero’s ties to contractor Lawrence Lubiano triggers a Comelec probe.

A few hours after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. released the list of the country’s top flood control project contractors, Rappler reporter James Patrick Cruz wrote about how then-Senate President Francis Escudero’s top election donor won flood control contracts in the senator’s own province. The story prompted the senator to call a press conference to address the article, and led to a probe by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Escudero was also later ousted as Senate president. A department in the Comelec eventually cleared him of liability, claiming there was not enough evidence to show that Lubiano was used indirectly by his firm Centerways Construction to donate to Escudero’s election campaign.

7. A Rappler investigation into the links between the Discayas and a firm owned by Senator Bong Go’s family aids in legal efforts for accountability.

Reporter Jairo Bolledo showed how a firm owned by Senator Go’s father, and which bears his initials, had partnered with firms owned by the embattled Discayas on infrastructure projects in the Davao region worth P800 million. At the time, Go was special assistant to then-president Rodrigo Duterte. Fast forward to when this story was published: Go was vice chairperson of the Senate blue ribbon committee probing flood control projects. The story was cited by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV when he filed a plunder complaint against Duterte and Go.

8. The government gives assurances it is addressing cases of Filipino seafarers abandoned at sea, after a Rappler report.

This story by reporter Lian Buan prompted the Department of Migrant Workers to give assurances to the public that it is cracking down on manning agencies and ship owners involved in the abandonment of Filipino seafarers. The story shed light on an underreported labor issue, and widened discussions about it.

9. Rappler amplified Bangsamoro watchdogs’ concerns about the region’s electoral code, helping gain the attention of lawmakers.

Weeks before the planned BARMM elections, Rappler Mindanao bureau chief Herbie Gomez wrote that a clause in the Bangsamoro Electoral Code could trigger a failure of elections. The October elections were later moved from October 2025 to 2026 after the Supreme Court struck down BARMM’s parliamentary districting laws. BARMM lawmakers have since filed bills to remove or amend the clause – the “None of the Above” (NOTA) provision.

Category 2: Most Impactful Civic Engagement Initiative

1. Rappler’s FloodControlPH crowdsourcing sparks citizen monitoring and collaboration with journalists to report on anomalous public works projects.

Our FloodControlPH crowdsourcing initiative has so far gathered at least 80 reports from citizens about suspicious or anomalous flood control and public works projects in different parts of the country. It also triggered tips being sent in through other platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, emails, and Google Forms. The information is shared regularly to Rappler’s reporting and community engagement staff, with some verified tips leading to articles and video reports.

2. Rappler kapihan sessions and town halls gave citizens a space to directly ask their local government leaders questions about community concerns.

Rappler’s #AmbagNatin kapihan and town halls brought citizens and local government officials in one room to discuss governance and liveability issues — ranging from water distribution, to traffic, to flooding. The six fora — held in Manila, Marikina, Cavite, Bulacan, Dagupan City, and Zamboanga City — were attended by 24 local government officials and candidates, including 7 mayors or mayoral candidates. They were attended by over 460 people. Articles about the fora written by Movers trained by Rappler to cover governance issues reached even more people. Interactions there helped strengthen our reporting on PrimeWater issues, flooding, and more. These fora were organized by our civic engagement arm, MovePH, and various partners.

If you want to stay updated on all of Rappler’s previous and upcoming events and roadshows, check this page.

3. The Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship helped talented campus journalists produce stories that prompted government action and sparked community discussions.

The 2025 fellowship trained eight campus journalists to produce over 75 stories that inspired public discourse on long-ignored local issues, sparked broad online engagement, and prompted meaningful responses from local officials. Before the actual fellowship, shortlisted campus journalists were also able to produce over 35 reports that covered the local campaign and election scene in at least 12 cities and municipalities in the country in a little over two weeks. The program’s sharpened thematic focus on good governance and information integrity led to tangible impact, including policy attention, renewed scrutiny, and community-driven conversations across multiple regions. Stories produced as part of the program, through the mentorship of our editorial team, resulted in the following: 

• Official action and renewed scrutiny on governance issues
• Triggered wide community discussions across Facebook, Reddit, and local groups
• Elevated underreported concerns, from flooding to waste management to election practices, leading residents to demand accountability
• Documented community-level change supported by testimonials and public feedback

4. Rappler’s #ScamAlert roadshow trained hundreds in fact-checking and critical-thinking to combat scams, and helped link government offices together for wider impact.

In 2025, Rappler’s civic engagement arm MovePH piloted an anti-scam campaign through two events in Laguna and Manila. The events featured workshops on fact-checking, reporting scams and fraud, and digital security, and a public forum. Held in the University of the Philippines Los Baños and the Far Eastern University Manila, the roadshow was attended by almost 600 people, including over a hundred senior citizens, a demographic vulnerable to online scams. We collaborated, for the first time, with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC). Because of this, the CICC and NCSC were able to work together on another event, a December outreach program. The initiative sparked collaboration among Rappler, the academe, civil society groups, youth groups, senior citizen groups, and government, towards the shared goal of protecting communities from manipulation.

Cast your vote!

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Thank you for your support! See you next year. – Rappler.com