There are two things the Rappler staff are celebrating this month of June: Philippine Independence Day and Pride Month.

At the halfway mark of this month, we’ve already commemorated the two in several ways. It’s been a whirlwind of activities for Community and the rest of Rappler – and here are the highlights.

On June 6, we launched a new chat room called voter hotline, with the Commission on Elections. This is our first formal partnership for the 2025 elections. As the name of the chat room suggests, it’s a place for voters to ask questions, air their concerns, and report any anomalies directly to the Comelec. That same day, we onboarded over 10 Comelec staff to the chat room. Head to the Community tab on your Rappler Communities app and join the chat room. Stay tuned for community chats about elections in the weeks ahead.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia was at our newsroom that day also to demonstrate the new voting machines (now called automated counting machines or ACMs) for the elections. If you want to learn more about how they work, watch the livestream of the demonstration.

There’s no better way to celebrate our country’s independence than by equipping ourselves with knowledge to be responsible voters. Fair and free elections, after all, help us exercise the very freedoms our national heroes fought for.

But there is perhaps a kind of tyranny our heroes could never have predicted: the oppression of profit-driven and opaque algorithms, and the rollout of technology that is harming our access to quality information.

That’s why we’ve also launched our “Freedom from the Feed” campaign which aims to shed light on an existential threat for digital news. It’s a threat that is literally hiding in plain sight, staring at you in the face every time you mindlessly scroll through your feed.

In a nutshell, Facebook’s deprioritization of posts by news organizations and Google’s rollout of AI summaries when you search for information online are cutting the access of digital news outlets to you, our readers and community.

How to help? Stop relying on social media and search engines for your news. Instead, support our independent ways of reaching you. In the case of Rappler, that is simply by downloading and using our free app, Rappler Communities.

“Existing is resisting,” said Vashti, executive director of the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines during our interview last June 7 for an episode of Be The Good, Rappler’s community show.

She was joined by Matt Alea, founder of Transmasculine Philippines, who spoke of the mental and emotional anguish young trans people suffer when they experience discrimination. During our interview, we also spoke of public restroom policies, advice for medical transitioning, and how family and friends can support their transgender loved one. 

After that episode, we launched a new gender equality chat room where community chats about the unique experiences of Filipino LGBTQIA+ await. The first community chat is happening on June 19 at 6 pm. The topic: Gaano kalaya maging isang LGBTQ+ sa Pilipinas?

If you’re excited to take part in Happy Pride events, we’ve got you covered with this list of activities and celebrations. 

If you also take pride in how Filipinos have stood up to aggression from China, there’s something for you in the security and global affairs chat room.

On Independence Day, we started “Field Notes from Protectors of Philippine Seas.” They are community chats and live chat updates all about efforts of various sectors to guard our rights in our seas. Our security reporter Bea Cupin will be filing in her notes, in the form of updates to the chat room, whenever she covers military exercises, supply missions, and diplomatic engagements.

Let’s break away from the shackles of ignorance and apathy. We at Rappler still think journalism and meaningful conversations can help us be free, and stay free. – Rappler.com

Be The Good is a newsletter that comes out every other Wednesday. We deliver updates straight to your inbox on how journalism and communities can work together for impact.

To subscribe, follow the #FactsFirstPH movement or visit rappler.com/profile and click the Newsletters tab. Create a Rappler account that helps you manage your newsletter subscriptions.