Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES In 1972, when Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law, the population of the Philippines was approximately 45 million. Today, there are close to 90 million of us. But, beyond this demographic doubling, our society has become complex in many other ways. As individuals, we find ourselves less constrained by tradition. We are freer to choose our … Read more
Brigadier General Danilo Lim and former Navy Lt. SG, now Senator Antonio Trillanes IV are two of the smartest officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. They are highly regarded by their men and by their contemporaries in the officer corps. Few senior officers in the Philippine military today can match their popularity among … Read more
I started riding a motorcycle in the mid-1960s after my maternal grandfather gave me a second-hand Ducati 160cc Junior Monza as a graduation gift. He said he couldn’t afford the VW Beetle that I had wished for, so would I settle for a motorcycle? I knew nothing about motorcycles, much less about the venerable name … Read more
My mother would have turned 85 last week. Instead of visiting her grave at Himlayang Pilipino, where she lies buried beside my father’s bones, I chose to go home to Betis, where she cared and cooked for a husband and thirteen children. When she died in 2000, we restored our house as a tribute to … Read more
The recent expose of the distribution of cash bundles in the presidential palace at the end of a day-long meeting with legislators and local government executives casts new light on the evolving nature of Philippine politics. In the early years of the nation’s politics, the top officials of the land commanded enough awe and respect … Read more
What has drawn sustained public attention to the recent distribution of cash gifts to congressmen and local executives is not so much that unaccounted money was given to politicians, but that it was done on such a scandalous scale and right in the presidential palace itself. No one believes this can happen without the knowledge … Read more
The basic task of social analysis is to interpret what is happening to a society, not to agree or disagree with the actions taken by people. Only if we keep this distinction in mind is it possible to observe ourselves as a people, and to see the various ways by which we judge events. Let … Read more
San Diego. From the air, they appear as patches of bright red orange in the dark gray mist of the Southern California skyline. They remind me of the kaingin (slash-and-burn) clearings in the Philippine countryside. I count about five of them as the plane I boarded in Lima, Peru approaches the Los Angeles airport. They … Read more
CUSCO — I am in Peru and I’m writing from Cusco, possibly the highest city in the world at 12,000 feet above sea level. Resting on a basin completely surrounded by the Andes Mountains, Cusco is the “navel” of the ancient Inca world known as Tawantinsuyo. A fusion of old dreams and young aspirations has … Read more
Like his former classmates and colleagues in academe who have known him closely or casually, I too was disappointed that former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri failed to seize the moment at the Senate hearing in order to disclose everything he knew about the controversial ZTE broadband deal. I also believe that basic self-respect now … Read more