Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES Interesting proposals are being revived in current moves to amend the 1987 Constitution. They seem at first like piecemeal responses to problems encountered in the course of the nation’s return to democracy. But one cannot fail to notice that, unlike the progressive intentions that animated the crafting of the present constitution, those that inform the … Read more
A fascinating Socratic dialogue took place in the closing hours of the recent congressional canvass. The young articulate party-list representative from Sanlakas, JV Bautista, asked Western Samar representative Eduardo Nachura: “What is truth? Is it not the opposite of doubt?” Nachura, a dean of law, took a long professorial breath and answered: “Doubt is not … Read more
A typical scene in the ongoing canvass in Congress unfolds like this: Election documents are brought out for inspection. Members of the joint committee and lawyers of the candidates take turns describing the condition of the documents. Somebody then makes a motion to canvass the certificates of canvass. If there are no objections, the chair … Read more
On Lilibeth Nacion’s radio program the other morning, there was a spirited discussion on whether Filipinos are still proud of their country. The callers were divided. Many felt that national pride is something that should not fade no matter what Filipinos do to their country or to themselves. Others admitted it has indeed become harder … Read more
One evening almost a year ago, I found my youngest daughter in a solemn huddle with her mother. I immediately sensed I was about to hear a disclosure for which I wasn’t prepared. “Jika has something to tell us,” my wife said, confirming my intuition. “Are you going to have a baby,” I jokingly blurted. … Read more
In the end, four days of spirited debate on how the canvassing of the votes for the president and vice president should proceed netted almost nothing for the minority in Congress. Despite the rationality of their proposals, its members had no choice but to submit to the law of agreement enshrined in parliamentary practice. Outnumbered, … Read more
Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born Roman Catholic widow of India’s late prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1991, worked for six years to revive the Congress Party. This was the party her husband’s grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, led when he emerged as the first prime minister of an independent India; the same party that made … Read more
If a stranger came to your house at the end of election day to do an exit poll, what are the chances that you would reveal to this person how you voted? The Social Weather Stations said that 8% of its exit poll respondents gave no answer when asked who their choice for president was. … Read more
Tomorrow, May 10, we vote for people who, we hope, will lead our nation to a better future. Many remain undecided because while their instincts incline them toward certain candidates, their conscience and/or intellect compel them to override their intuitions. There is nothing extraordinary in this. We often start with a basic attraction or dislike … Read more
The demand of responsible voters to know the platforms of the presidential candidates is quite tragic, if not amusing. Political platforms go hand in hand with political parties; they make no sense if there are no parties to carry them out. With the exception of a few party-list groups, political parties became totally irrelevant in … Read more