#CourageON: Impeachment is personal. Journalism is personal. 

I am Jairo Bolledo, a journalist for seven years now. Let me tell you why journalism is personal to me.

I still recall the day when the the Senate impeachment court ousted then-chief justice Renato Corona 13 years ago, on May 29, 2012. I was 14.

I tried to commit to memory as many details as I could. Who voted to convict Corona? Why did then-senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. choose to acquit him? What did the impeachment trial mean? I knew they’d matter someday. Because I had already, at that point, decided to become a journalist. 

Fast forward to 2025, and here I am — a reporter who’s been covering the rule of law and the justice system for three years now.

On Friday, July 25, I was in the middle of a shoot for a different story when we received a tip that the Supreme Court (SC) might release its decision on Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. Fueled by adrenaline, I exhausted all means I could think of to verify that information. 

Lo and behold, the tip turned out to be true. 

The magistrates of Padre Faura stopped the impeachment trial of the Vice President, ruling that the Articles of Impeachment filed against her violated the Constitution and due process.

Hi, I am Jairo Bolledo, a journalist for seven years now. Let me tell you why journalism is personal to me.

Growing up, a part of me was always itching to become a reporter. I felt that it was the kind of work that I’d never get tired of doing.

But living in poverty while my single mother worked every day to fend for our family made me consider other options. The other part of me wished for a lucrative career, a job that would help alleviate my family’s financial woes back then. 

Yet, I did ultimately choose journalism. I had reservations, of course, but it was destiny that affirmed my decision — and in a most painful way. 

Less than two months before my college graduation, my mother died in a public hospital. I remember feeling helpless. I was angry, crying, and pleading with the medical staff to attend to her. 

That night cemented my resolve to choose journalism. No more qualms, no more doubts. I realized then that through this profession, I could give justice to my mother, who had fallen victim to our society’s anti-poor system, by shining the light on the concerns of those who have nothing.

While it was misfortune that finally pushed me to take this path, my decision was rooted in my belief that people on the fringes, and the issues that weigh them down, need to be heard.

I have written about the plight of drug war victims, the crackdown on progressives, and the harassment faced by government critics. 

I have faced power and spoken truth to it through Rappler’s exposé on the government’s lack of investigation into drug war killings; former president Rodrigo Duterte’s rise in Davao City and fall from grace; and the red flags in the National Police Commission’s spending that triggered a change of leadership in the commission, among others.

By asking questions and learning from lawyers and academics, I also help people understand why legal issues, such as impeachment, should matter to them. I’m able to do this because of the culture at Rappler that fights for the truth and does not frown on dissent. The newsroom allows us to highlight sensitive issues that are otherwise ignored by others.

We’re also encouraged to approach storytelling with empathy and humanity. When we do this, we take time to listen and immerse ourselves, and this allows us to tell a story on a personal level and show why people should care.

There are, however, stories that beg for more — such as documents, analysis, a deeper dive into data and details. A good example is Duterte’s impeachment. 

Together with my fellow impeachment reporters, Bonz Magsambol, and Dwight de Leon, I have been producing in-depth and explainer reports both in text and video to provide perspective and context on such a huge story. We also published an annotated version of the Articles of Impeachment to provide context behind the allegations against her.

Last week, I explained how the SC ruled in the impeachment case and its effects on the process of impeachment in the country. I also wrote about the options left for the Congress, and whether ordinary people can react to the SC’s ruling.

The SC might have halted the trial, but in an unpredictable country like ours, many things could still happen. And so we’re on our toes so we could provide you all the information you need about the impeachment and other issues — with context and depth.

We are able to do all this because of your support.

Help us do more by becoming a Rappler+ member. Help us tell stories with empathy, show people there is good in this world, and remind them they can “be the good” themselves.

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