Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES If the President’s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, is truly not the owner of the Jose Pidal accounts, then the more details his brother Ignacio can share about these accounts the better. Ignacio, who came forward on his own volition to claim the fictitious name Jose Pidal, has to prove he is really the owner of … Read more
Joseph Stiglitz, the 2001 Nobel laureate for economic science, puts it bluntly: The United States and Europe subsidize their cows at $2 per day, more than what a human being in many parts of the world earn in a day. I have come across more disturbing figures. An article by Hamish McRae for a South … Read more
Politics is an inescapable element of collective life. In itself, it is neither good nor bad. All of us engage in politics when we seek to enhance our power or influence over others or try to free ourselves from others’ control over us. In the life of nations, politics is a way of negotiating and … Read more
A professor of psychology from the University of Virginia, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, called it “elevation” – that warm glow that spreads through our chest and brings tears to our eyes when we witness an act of selflessness, compassion, or kindness. Our breathing slows down, and gladness quickly fills our hearts. We not only feel good, … Read more
In the aftermath of the July 27th mutiny led by young officers, among them the top graduates and the most be-medalled in their batch at the Philippine Military Academy, not a few opinion makers have advanced the proposition that the PMA should be abolished. The suggestion is that, in producing highly politicized officers who will … Read more
It could have been just an ordinary interview with a couple of young officers who wanted to talk about corruption in the armed forces. The interview led to a broad exchange on theories of corruption – its origins, the forms it takes, its consequences, and solutions. The young officers, among them Navy Lt. Sonny Trillanes, … Read more
The People Power Revolution of 1986 was in many ways a political emancipation. It not only freed us from a dictator; it also freed us from the notion that the only road to political power is by election. For all the moral meanings that shrouded it, people power was an extraconstitutional route to power. Its … Read more
In a constitutional order led by civilians, the military is expected to stay out of politics. Soldiers can vote and have opinions on public issues, but they cannot join political parties or act on their political convictions. This is the price they pay for being entrusted with the state’s coercive apparatus. The government has to … Read more
HAVANA. Cuba is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the historic July 26th attack on the Moncada barracks, the failed assault that paved the way for the 1959 revolution and Cuba’s accidental journey toward a swinging socialism. Yet the mood in Havana is far from celebratory, not only because the main ceremonies are being held in … Read more
CAPE TOWN. For the last four days, I’ve been listening to a group of scholars from nine African nations talk about the language situation in their respective countries. One immediately realizes that this continent has been robbed not only of its past but also of its soul. In country after country, the official language is … Read more