Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES

Somewhere in Africa, a new kind of two-burner stove that runs on bioethanol in canisters is steadily replacing stoves that use charcoal, kerosene, and even liquefied petroleum gas. Fifty percent cheaper than charcoal and far more efficient for cooking, it is primarily aimed at improving the situation of poor families living in slums, whose health … Read more

It has been exactly one year now since the nonprofit company OpenAI released ChatGPT, the large language model (LLM) program that has triggered a worldwide fascination with artificial intelligence (AI). Like an early Christmas gift, ChatGPT 3.5 was offered to users at no cost—in the same spirit of experimentation that had inspired its creation. So … Read more

Are Filipinos ready for someone like Leila de Lima? The quick answer to that, I’m afraid, is we were not, but we should be, if we expect any meaningful progress in our society. Here is a bright woman who opted to be an election lawyer after graduating salutatorian in law school and placing eighth in … Read more

It is difficult not to feel outraged, bothered — and helpless at the same time — as we watch the latest news on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian war in the Middle East and the ceaseless slaughter of defenseless civilians that has resulted from it. In an effort to gain some understanding of the origins of this … Read more

As I write this, 115 Filipinos working in war-torn Gaza are waiting at the Rafah border for permission to cross into Egypt—and from there to fly back safely to the Philippines. Those married to Palestinians must go without their spouses because neither Israel nor Egypt, which controls this border crossing, would allow Palestinians to leave … Read more

Three weeks have quickly passed since commandos of the Palestinian extremist group Hamas raided Israel’s border communities and launched what amounts to a coordinated killing rampage. Most of the 1,400 victims were innocent civilians—children, women, and the elderly. They also included young people who had just attended a nearby music festival. As the bonnet-hooded militants … Read more

It is safe to say that much of the world sympathizes with the State of Israel’s right to defend its existence. But Israel cannot hope to continue enjoying that sympathy if, in its fight for survival, it resorts to the same genocidal atrocities that it condemns in its enemies. Moreover, as recent events have shown, … Read more

At a meeting in Malacañang last Thursday, the murderous attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israeli communities a week ago was on the agenda. The first concern was to ascertain if any Filipinos were killed or injured, and whether they needed to be evacuated. The second item was to determine how this massive … Read more

Last Thursday, Oct. 5, a short video clip posted on X, formerly Twitter, went viral. The video shows a police officer stopping traffic along busy Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, purportedly to let a VIP convoy freely cross the wide avenue. Within a short span of time, the video had been reposted and uploaded on … Read more

CIFs or “confidential and intelligence funds” are all over the news, and we are becoming aware of the creative ways by which public officials spend taxpayers’ money. Less known is a 2012 Commission on Audit (COA) circular that was expressly crafted to define, disallow, and prevent what it calls “irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, and unconscionable” … Read more