Christian Esguerra

Christian V. Esguerra is a Filipino political journalist and educator. He currently hosts Facts First, a political podcast streaming live five times a week, where he tackles current issues in Philippine politics and governance. A persistent critic of disinformation activities, Esguerra was the former anchor and managing editor of the political talk program After the Fact on ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), launched in May 2020. He started his career in journalism as a reporter for the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 2000, and joined ABS-CBN in 2015 as a news correspondent and anchor.

Esguerra is also an assistant professor teaching political reporting and journalism ethics at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), where he is also a researcher at the Research Center for Culture, Arts, and Humanities. Outside of UST, Esguerra's research project titled "Captive Congress: Interest Group Capture in the Philippine House of Representatives" was funded by the DLSU Southeast Asian Research Program as part of the program's Democracy Discourse Series.

In 2019, Esguerra received the Award of Distinction from the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, as well as the Titus Brandsma Award for Emergent Leadership in Journalism. In 2020, he was awarded a Marshall McLuhan Fellowship.

Education Esguerra graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at the University of Santo Tomas in 2000. He finished his master's degree in Theology, major in Social Pastoral Communication, at the same university in 2011. Election lawyer Emil Marañon lamented ABS-CBN's "dropping" of Esguerra, saying Esguerra is "one of the best journalists in the country who dare ask the hard questions," writing further that "his brand of journalism is what gives ABS-CBN the credibility it enjoys." Marañon further noted that this was a "bad call."

After After the Fact came to an end, Esguerra shifted his focus to Facts First with Christian Esguerra, a podcast program where he dives into the most important political issues in the Philippines. He regularly sits down with key figures like former Presidential Adviser Ronald Llamas, former Senator Antonio Trillanes, economist Cielo Magno, and others from the political and academic world. His interviews stand out for their depth and thoughtfulness, with Esguerra’s style often praised for bringing out meaningful, candid responses from his guests.

Awards Gawad Dr. Pio Valenzuela for Excellence in Journalism, City of Valenzuela, 2019 Titus Brandsma Award for Emergent Leadership in Journalism, 2019 Award of Distinction – Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), 2019 Marshall McLuhan Fellowship, 2020