Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES

People have wondered why the public is not reacting with outrage to the scandal of the “Garci tapes”. Is there “people power fatigue”? Maybe.  But, how many people have listened to these tapes?  How many have tried to understand them?  And why should we expect the simple recognition of the voice of the President in … Read more

This is how the conversation between the principal and her agent typically begins.  She speaks in a low and measured tone, usually to bring up a problem, or to suggest a course of action.  Most of the time, he, in an exquisitely fawning way, assures her that the problem is being attended and that he … Read more

I was happy to receive recently the assessment report on a new General Education (G.E.) course that I helped design.  The course, “Sociology 10: On Being Filipino, A Sociological Exploration,” has become one of the most popular courses in the G.E. social science cluster in the University of the Philippines Diliman campus.  Students consistently rated … Read more

Surely there are more important things to talk about these days than this illegal poor man’s lottery that is hogging the headlines.  And surely, we have far more pressing tasks before us than going after local gambling lords and tracking down their powerful protectors.  So, why are we allowing ourselves to be distracted and agitated … Read more

Once again we find ourselves at a crossroad.  We don’t know where to turn, but we have a strong sense that we must alter course if we are to survive and grow as a nation. We are convinced that if we allow our current crop of politicians to continue governing the country, we are doomed … Read more

The recent rash of media killings has had only local journalists as victims.  There are two reasons for this.  First, because, compared to those in the national media, local journalists are relatively little known and therefore more vulnerable to attack.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, because the entities they expose by their writings tend to … Read more

As they sat on a bench in the crowded courtroom, she began to wipe the sweat on his face with a crumpled handkerchief.  He lowered his head and leaned slightly toward his mother.  She hadn’t seen him in a while, and now he was back in her arms, her son, her little one.  It was … Read more

Since the start of the year I’ve been speaking at various schools in the country.  I think I have gained a clear idea of the concerns and aspirations of young Filipinos in these uncertain times.  In the exchange that follows every talk, I ask how many in the audience are seriously planning to go abroad … Read more

Reacting to my column on outdoor advertising (“Billboard nation,” PDI 04/03/05) and to another piece on the same subject by fellow Inquirer columnist Augusto Villalon, a reader, Neil Magno, raises a couple of points that give us the chance to place this issue in a larger context. He writes: “I cannot agree with both of … Read more

Cambridge. I like coming to Cambridge not so much to see Harvard but to visit my old friend Daniel Boone Schirmer.  He turned 90 this year, and is wheelchair-bound.  A thin line of mourning marks his handsome Pilgrim face, but his blue eyes are undiminished in their brightness.  Last year, he lost his wife Peggy, … Read more