MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Legal issues can be intimidating—but they don’t have to be.A podcast that explains everything law and governance has been making the rounds on the Filipino podcast scene, breaking down issues for any Filipino to understand. Law students have been citing it in their papers, millennials have been sharing it on Facebook.
And the man behind the podcast? None other than Ted Te, human rights lawyer and former Supreme Court spokesperson.
“Te Talks by Ted Te” launched in April 2019 on the PumaPodcast network, tackling issues like territorial disputes, whistleblowers, and recently, emergency powers under the Bayanihan Act.
Te had been a fan of podcasts for many years. “I was like a voice in the wilderness before telling people, ‘listen to this, listen to that!’ And then they didn’t get it. They’d ask me, ‘radyo ba yan? How do I access it?’” he recalls. “So when Roby [Alampay, founder and CEO of PumaPodcast] pitched it to me over a cheap Thai dinner, it took me five minutes. We hadn’t even finished eating—I just said yes, let’s go.”
Though he was already an avid listener of podcasts, creating his own show was a whole new game. “It’s fun being on the other side,” says Te, whose favorite podcasts currently include “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” “Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell,” and NPR’s “Hidden Brain.”
“It’s been an interesting experience figuring out how to say things differently. I’m a visual person and I communicate with my hands, so in podcasting, it’s how you use your voice and your choice of words. It’s very fulfilling,” says Te, who has also taught at the Philippines’ top law schools.
To make legal issues more relatable, Te uses analogies from movies like “Black Panther,” brings in file audio from his days as Supreme Court spokesperson, and invites leading Filipino lawyers to share their insights. Constitutional lawyers and fellow professors Dante Gatmaytan and Gwen De Vera, and maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal have guested on “Te Talks.”
Te works with the PumaPodcast team to develop episodes, which are mostly recorded in the network’s studio in Cubao.
“The great thing about working with Atty. Ted is he’s very open to ideas,” says PumaPodcast head of content Tricia Aquino. “All the people working with him—with the exception of Roby—are much much younger than he is, but he listens to us and respects our ideas, which in turn allows us to be playful and creative. This is what enables us to produce high-quality content that stands out among other legal explainers.”
For Te, a volunteer lawyer with the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) for over 20 years, his podcast is more than a creative exercise. “Te Talks” is a chance to help Filipinos cut through our confusing times and gain a sense of clarity. With most episodes running for less than 20 minutes, they’re an easy listen to keep one company while doing housework or taking a short drive.
“I like the format of podcasts. It’s like having someone sit beside you and tell you, ‘here’s what you need to know.’ Let me tell you this thing in a language you can appreciate,” he shares. “We’re using a conversational language, picking up on experiences they’ve gone through, breaking down news they’ve heard but don’t entirely get. So I think that’s why it’s been interesting to people.”
“The more people understand, the better.”
Listen to “Te Talks by Ted Te” on Spotify (bit.ly/tetalks), Apple Podcasts (bit.ly/tetalks-apple) and other podcast apps. “Te Talks by Ted Te” is a PumaPodcast production.
