Introducing the first-ever Philippines edition of Telum News Watch, a series of bite-sized interviews with journalists about the latest news they've been covering.

What's happening? Filipinos are in the thick of the elections as former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of a former strongman ousted from the 1986 people power movement, is billed as the frontrunner according to polls. The country's incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo has mounted a grassroots campaign aimed to challenge Marcos for the top post.

Who we're speaking with? Telum Media caught up with Philstar.com's Xave Gregorio about his experience covering a presidential campaign and how journalists from across rival news organisations are collaborating and fact-checking.

Or, jump ahead to these questions:

• 00:27 - For those who might be unfamiliar, can you give us a quick overview about the upcoming Philippine elections?
• 01:49 - What challenges are you encountering as a reporter on the ground?
• 03:23 - Have people who don't understand beat assignments harassed you for seemingly covering only one candidate? How have you been handling this?
• 04:50 - Can you walk us through how you collaborate with fact-checkers, your editor, fellow beat reporters from other publications?
• 06:29 - For someone who will be covering the Philippine elections for the first time, what would your best advice be?

Telum Media gives journalists a platform to share their experiences in the newsroom with other journalists and media professionals. If you would like to share your experience covering a recent story, email us at [email protected]