SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – Before his sudden passing, investigative journalist and book author Aries Rufo built a solid body of work that exposed wrongdoing and corruption in a wide range of sectors.
From the Church to the courts, military to politics, Customs to the Commission on Audit (COA), pork barrel to the Disbursement Acceleration Program and even Overseas Filipino Worker Mary Jane Veloso, Rufo wrote investigative, in-depth pieces often cited in legislative inquiries, and the source of leads for government investigators.
His reporting on former Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory Ong and his ties with alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles caught the eye of a special investigating body led by retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez.
The High Court approved the recommendation to dismiss Ong, finding him guilty of gross misconduct, dishonesty and impropriety. Rufo was among those summoned by the investigating body.
He challenged authority, politicians, institutions, and was persistent in his digging and unearthing of information not readily available. He was daring, fearless and undaunted. He had an uncanny ability to make people talk and open up to him, sharing with him secrets and valuable information for his stories.
As Rappler’s senior investigative reporter, he also hosted podcasts on investigative reporting, interviewing whistleblowers, insiders and pundits.
Rufo, 45, died of cardiac arrest on Saturday, September 19.
In a Facebook post, Rappler editor-at-large Marites Dañguilan-Vitug paid tribute to Rufo’s two decades of reporting.
“I looked forward to our election coverage, you making sense of so much stuff, numbers on SALNs, figures in a procurement database, campaign contributions and expenses, COA reports, PDAF (pork barrel). And the Catholic Church – plus, lately, the INC (Iglesia ni Cristo). Such a range of interests! Aries, life is made of stories (a poet once said this) and you’ve been on a roll here, shared with us so much,” Vitug said.
“Yet it has to end this way, death stealing you so early. Goodbye, Aries.”
As Rappler bids Rufo goodbye, we share a compilation of the stories he wrote for the site. His work lives on in the pieces, interviews and insights he left behind.
Podcasts
PODCAST: Investigative reporting 101 with Aries Rufo
PODCAST: Makati will be wiped out – Mercado
PODCAST: Junjun Binay in jail is open warfare – Bondal
PODCAST: Presidency or nothing for Duterte
PODCAST: The 3 Cs in Duterte’s presidential campaign
PODCAST: Mary Jane Veloso fits profile of human trafficking victim
PODCAST: Can Mary Jane Veloso still be saved?
PODCAST: Sergio can save Mary Jane Veloso – PAO chief
PODCAST: Practical tips in running for elections
PODCAST: Romancing the media during elections
PODCAST: ‘Grace Poe thought she could get away’ – David
PODCAST: Gov’t slow to act on Napoles scam – Baligod
Elections
EDSA’s failed legacy: Political dynasties
New Comelec exec bad news for Lanao cheats
The Cayetanos: A conjugal rule in Taguig
Rape, ’tililing’ and other dirty tricks
Cavite: Huge, rich province makes a choice
Erap peddled a dream and Manileños bought it
60-30-10? Regional votes don’t support it
Taguig poll transmission failure a ‘puzzle’
Poe surges in Nov Pulse survey, Binay drops by 5%
Marcos campaign donors: Controversial businessmen, lawyers
Grace Poe and Pandora’s box: Legal issues in her candidacy
Part 2: Grace Poe and Pandora’s box: Legal issues also political
PDAF, Malampaya scams
Almost half of PDAF goes to favored NGOs
How Janet Lim-Napoles got away
Bong, JPE, Jinggoy ‘suki’ to Napoles NGOs
Exclusive: Napoles partied, joined Estrada family affairs
How the Malampaya fund was plundered
PDAF kickbacks: Napoles had favorites
PDAF-funded disaster mitigation projects no match vs Yolanda
Revilla Senate staff: I’m ready to open bank accounts
Ruby Tuason drags dead brother into Malampaya scam
90-year-old Enrile may still spend time in jail
Why Luy dropped Baligod as counsel
Pork barrel lawyers, whistleblowers wary of Cunanan
Elections and the Estrada wealth
How credible is Janet Napoles?
Anti-graft court justice in pork scam files
Sandiganbayan justice linked to Napoles splits Supreme Court
Who are the lawyers of Janet Lim Napoles?
Religion
Pampanga’s priests defy celibacy
PNoy and God’s ‘anointed’ ones
Bishop accused of diverting millions
RH and elections: Pols knew there’s no Catholic vote
After plenary, CBCP blasts Aquino gov’t
What the campaign vs ‘Team Patay’ means
Politicized bishops putting PPCRV in a bind
The fall of the rising star (an excerpt in his book, Altar of Secrets: Sex, Money, and Politics in the Philippine Catholic Church)
Once burned, will Quevedo take chances with Aquino gov’t?
Quezon City parish divided over priest with dubious wealth
The Catholic Church and Iglesia ni Cristo: Major differences
INC: From rag-tag sect to influential wheeler-dealer?
How potent is the INC’s vote delivery system?
INC lobbies for key gov’t positions
Billions of pesos in Church funds locked in stocks
3 in 5 priests live in a material world
Binay and Makati
VP Binay lobbied for General Garcia
WATCH: Red flags in ‘overpriced’ Makati infra projects
Binay’s Makati building overshoots approved budget
‘World-class’ prices for Binay’s parking building
Binay’s ‘dear friend’ got P1.3B contracts in 4 years
The Jojo Binay that Mercado knew
‘Guilt strong’ vs Junjun Binay – Ombudsman
How a Binay dummy got a P1B Makati property
SC partly to blame for confusion on Binay’s suspension
Other stories
Gen Garcia: How the big fish got away
P1 billion in tobacco funds misused
Biazon: Politician backers worsen Customs corruption
Customs, corruption: A hopeless case?
Haiyan exposes military’s vulnerabilities
NDRRMC: Too many cooks spoil the broth
Cybersex, media, privacy, and the cybercrime law
No closure yet on Erap Estrada’s plunder case
Constitutional bodies agree on stricter use of savings
How to catch a thief, the Ombudsman way
IN PHOTOS: China’s creeping expansion
– Rappler.com
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