Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES One year ago today, Joseph Ejercito Estrada ran on a pro-poor platform and became president of the country. He made history by making the radical elimination of poverty the principal burden of political leadership. His moral slogan was as urgent as it was simple: Erap para sa mahirap. Cynics scoffed at the ordinariness of this … Read more
At this time of the year, once every six years, the University of the Philippines embarks on a quiet and dignified search for a new president. The search process goes through the phases of inviting nominations, requiring vision papers, interviewing nominees, and consulting with various sectors of the university. The information gathered is synthesized and … Read more
Over supper a couple of weeks ago, our youngest daughter, Jika, announced that the next day was going to be her last exam day – not just for the current semester but for her entire life as a university student. “That means you would soon be graduating?” I asked, pretending not to know. “Yup,” she … Read more
We rejoice in the return to their families of the soldiers and policemen taken as captives by forces affiliated with the National Democratic Front (NDF). We salute the individuals who intervened at a most crucial moment to negotiate their release. We commend the NDF for agreeing to the release, just as we commend the government … Read more
The Manila Times is one of the few newspapers I buy. I genuinely appreciate the sobriety of its editorials and the reliability of its reports. I also have a tremendous respect for the young men and women who used to run it — professional journalists who try very hard to resist the tide of “envelopmental” … Read more
There was an unusual number of youths marching to their own Calvaries this Good Friday, hypnotically whipping themselves or perversely being beaten up by their companions — perhaps in payment for past sins, or in fulfillment of a vow, or to mark the start of a new life. Scanning their resigned faces, I tried to … Read more
It always baffled me as a child growing up in very Catholic Pampanga that the entire holy season beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter Sunday was marked with all kinds of food prohibitions. And yet, the following month of May was always treated as a merry season of fiestas, in which these same … Read more
Short of banning fraternities in order to put an end to their violent proclivities, it may be worth considering the idea of opening their membership to women. Of course, we expect the traditional fraternities to say they would rather disband themselves than admit women into their male-bonded organizations. Such reactions are to be expected. They … Read more
I didn’t think he could do it or would survive it. But the pledge he made to each of his eight grandchildren – that he would take every one of them out on a date to a restaurant or hotel of their choice as a high school graduation gift – turned out to be one … Read more
No death in the University of the Philippines in recent memory has shaken the academic community more than the senseless murder of Nino Calinao. There is much anger and frustration on campus these days. At various levels of the academic community, people ask what has become of the university. But even before we have sat … Read more