Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES Having once moderated a presidential debate myself, I was curious to watch the debates between US President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden. I expected that Chris Wallace, the moderator of the first debate, would not have an easy time controlling Trump. I wanted to see how he would handle a 90-minute verbal … Read more
Last Sept. 22, the head of Facebook’s Security Policy — Nathaniel Gleicher — announced that, following a thorough investigation, Facebook took down two separate networks for violating FB’s policy on “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” One of them is based in the Philippines, and the other in Fujian, China. The Filipino network, consisting of 57 FB accounts, … Read more
This coming week, we recall Marcos’ declaration of martial law 48 years ago, an event that significantly altered the course of Philippine politics. It may seem pointless to warn the younger generation of the virus of authoritarianism—since it is already upon us, albeit without a formal announcement of its arrival. But, it will always be … Read more
In those crucial days in mid-December last year — when the first cases of the novel coronavirus began appearing in Wuhan, China — the protocol followed by the hospital authorities required them to immediately report the matter to the local Communist Party bureau while keeping the information in the strictest confidence. Dr. Li Wenliang, one … Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic struck just when our students, fresh from the Christmas break, were settling back into their classrooms. They viewed the disruption of classes it triggered with a mix of annoyance and relief. They expected classes to resume within a month at most. Little did they expect that this pause would upend not just … Read more
While we have stayed indoors, the coronavirus pandemic has been transforming the landscape of our shared spaces in ways we never expected. Nowhere is this more palpable than in our roads. Road traffic everywhere has its distinct pace, rhythm, and rules. No one knows this better than the tourist who must navigate the streets of … Read more
It is strange that the idea of a RevGov (revolutionary government) has resurfaced on the day set aside for the remembrance of the August 21st murder of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino 37 years ago. This uncanny coincidence brings back unpleasant memories of a period when our country seemed destined to become Asia’s banana republic—violent, unstable, the … Read more
This Monday, President Duterte is expected to announce adjustments in the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the absence of a unified and coherent official communication system, it has been difficult to comprehend the logic of this response. We are drowning in an alphabet soup of assorted abbreviations whose precise meanings remain unclear. The … Read more
On Feb. 17 this year, I taped an hour-long interview with Dr. Edsel Salvaña, director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the UP National Institutes of Health in Manila. Dr. Salvaña was among the first Filipino infectious disease experts to closely follow developments surrounding the novel coronavirus outbreak first detected in Wuhan, … Read more
President Duterte said so himself: In the absence of a vaccine, it is futile to offer a roadmap to recovery from the massive damage wrought by COVID-19. In his State of the Nation Address last Monday, he went off-script to announce that he had made a plea to China’s leader Xi Jinping “that if they … Read more