Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES

If the recent surveys are saying anything, it is that Filipino voters are rudely awakening to the pressing need for stability in our national life. This strong conservative impulse is born of a sense of uncertainty and uneasiness in a troubled world.  It is driving voters to support the incumbent president, who, under different circumstances, … Read more

I’ve often been asked what I think of the candidacy of Brother Eddie Villanueva, the founding leader of the Jesus is Lord movement.  My quick answer to this question is: Nothing in our Constitution prevents a person of God from running for public office or from being appointed to one.  His fitness or suitability for … Read more

It is significant that Lent this year comes before a major election in our country. The current campaign gives us a chance to reflect on the roots of our most persistent problems, while the coming of a new government after May brings with it the expectation of release from these problems. The association between Christ’s … Read more

I am writing this column from a terrace facing the sea in Basco while waiting for the return flight to Manila. Behind me are wind-swept mountains rising majestically from the sea, rolling hills and verdant valleys dotted with grazing animals, and ribbons of roads without vehicles. A few days ago, I told my wife Karina, … Read more

The sad thing about the coming presidential elections is not that the leading candidates have refused to debate. The real tragedy is that concrete issues that should be debated are treated as non-negotiable and not part of the agenda of national discourse. A consensus of acquiescence appears to define every discussion of those very conditions … Read more

There was a time in the late ‘70s when enrolments for a nursing degree declined like those for teaching.  At the University of the Philippines, the faculties that trained nurses and teachers shrank in size, mirroring the dearth of students in these traditional academic units.  The perception is that if you were good enough to … Read more

My colleague Raul Pertierra of Ateneo de Manila’s department of sociology takes issue with my column on the emergence of the “masa” vote (Public Lives, Feb. 8)  He writes that my analysis, while “persuasive”, suffers from “serious flaws,” but does not say what these are.  Instead he raises some questions and observations.  His comment warrants … Read more

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made a bid to become a modern executive by making the formation of a “strong republic” the key goal of her administration.  But in the last three years, she has probably done more to weaken our Republic than any president before her except Marcos.  Her beliefs may be republican, but her … Read more

I will not speculate on how his supporters will react if the Supreme Court rules that Fernando Poe Jr. is disqualified from running for president.  I don’t think anyone knows.  But some people should stop pushing the Court to disqualify FPJ by suggesting this is the only way to prevent the looming disaster of an … Read more

By “masa,” I refer to the class of voters that pollsters identify with the so-called “E” and the middle and lower rungs of the “D” strata.  They constitute roughly about 60 to 75% of the nation’s voting population. The existence of such huge numbers at the bottom of the social ladder attests to the gravity … Read more