GRID Magazine Podcast

All the stories that make it to our audience have to go a long way to get there. In this new series, we bring you in on our sacred editorial meetings. What stories should we cover? How should we cover them? And why the hell are we doing this anyway? 

For our first meeting, Paco sits down with GRID Editor-in-Chief Nina Unlay and Features Editor Denise Gonsalves to talk about travel writing without travel, covering indigenous communities, and the usual existential dread.

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What is the meaning of life? For Dave Albao, the question turned into a winding journey. In this episode, GRID Editor-in-Chief Nina Unlay talks to Dave about he ended up in the Buddhist temples in Cebu, even almost becoming an ordained monk in the temples of Taiwan—before he found himself wanting to return home to his hometown of Negros.

Now currently the Executive Director of the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc. (PRRCFI), Dave looks over Danjugan Island, a piece of protected land and a wildlife sanctuary, where he continues to pursue the answers to his question; and he finds it in conservation and the nature of the land.

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Netflix's new documentary, Seaspiracy, wants the world to stop eating fish in the name of sustainability. But would that really help? In this episode, Paco Guerrero is joined by marine scientist Tara Abrina and filmmaker Boogs Rosales to dissect the controversial film and see if we can responsibly ask Filipinos, who live in a country surrounded by water, to stop eating fish.

References from our guests:

Increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, and a barrage of super typhoons. We’ve all heard it before, but do we really understand the story of the climate crisis? Paco sits down with climate activist Farmer Jon Sarmiento, National Geographic explorer and conservationist Gab Mejia, and disaster resilience expert Dr. Kristoffer Berse to talk about how the climate crisis is affecting the Philippines, and why we need to get this particular story straight.

When it comes to the supernatural, there are the skeptics and the non-believers. In our special Halloween episode, we gather both sides from Team GRID and horror author Yvette Tan to swap scary stories from the road, debate if spirits live among us, and give tips on how to survive a night in a haunted hotel room.

It isn’t over yet, but 2020 has been a real rollercoaster so far—from surviving a volcanic eruption to battling a global pandemic. What has it been like to photograph the biggest stories of 2020? Paco Guerrero and guest host Sonny Thakur talk to fellow photographers Eloisa Lopez, Kimberly dela Cruz, and Veejay Villafranca about documenting 2020, the new challenges in local photography, and what the industry needs moving forward.

An hour and a half from Metro Manila sits the Masungi Georeserve, an award-winning conservation and eco-tourism site that attracted travelers with its jagged rock formations and adventure trails. It’s also the place sisters Ann and Billie Dumaliang associate with their childhood, as they watched the forest heal over time.

Paco and GRID Editorial Assistant Denise Gonsalves speak to Ann and Billie about growing up in Masungi in the late 90s. They talk about the pros and cons of private conservation, and why they are now so passionate about snails, mushrooms, and the land they protect.

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Welcome to Mindoro, where along the slopes of Mts. Iglit-Baco roam a dwindling population of small but mighty beasts: the tamaraw. These animals are so rare and elusive that they live only in select parts of the Philippines. To lose the tamaraw of the Philippines would be the end of its kind. But why have they been so difficult to save? Who are the people protecting them?

Paco and GRID Editorial Assistant Denise Gonsalves speak to advocates and storytellers Neil del Mundo, Gregg Yan, Nella Lomotan, and Celine Murillo about the Tamaraw Conservation Project, the dedicated Tamaraw Rangers, and what we can all do to help.

To donate to Biofin’s Together For Tamaraws campaign, visit:

In 2016, an unlikely group of hikers, conservationists, and photographers set out on an expedition through the mountains of the Cordilleras. Photographer Miguel Nacianceno tells us all about how much can happen in nine days on assignment.

Who is your favorite Filipino hero? In this special National Heroes Day episode, historians Xiao Chua, John Ray Ramos, and Ayshia Kunting share their answers with GRID Editor-in-Chief Nina Unlay. A short history lesson turns into a conversation about kabayanihan, the act of remembering, and the country our heroes imagined. Episode cover illustration by Angelo Esperanzate. 

How does one go about producing a travel magazine in the middle of a pandemic? Team GRID lets us in on the process of getting Vol. 09 to our readers, and talks to contributors Mohd Sarajan and Nicola Sebastian about the stories behind their stories.

Sustainable tourism starts with sustainable design. Paco talks to Mark Villaflor, half of the duo behind El Nido’s The Birdhouse, about building a sustainable business from the ground up, designing with your environment in mind, and the pitfalls of mass tourism.

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Touted as the center of marine biodiversity, the Philippines plays an important role in global marine conservation.