Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES

Using an Emilio Aguinaldo photo to represent Andres Bonifacio, or—which amounts to the same thing—mistaking Bonifacio for Aguinaldo, seemed like a sick joke, a flagrant example of historical ignorance. But, I wouldn’t be so harsh. Perhaps it was just the unfortunate result of a harassed researcher’s futile effort to fight drowsiness in the rush to … Read more

One of the unforeseen consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is the way it has conditioned the public to obey police orders without question. Law enforcement, not public service, has become the dominant motif of governance. The original rationale of emergency quarantine measures—the protection of public health—has been reconfigured as the protection of public safety against … Read more

For as long as her physical condition allowed her, my wife Karina insisted on regularly visiting Sen. Leila de Lima at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame. Nearly always short of breath because of her congestive heart and flooded lungs, she would take deep breaths from the medical oxygen tank she carried … Read more

The adjective “novel” was the first thing that struck most people about the early name given to the coronavirus that causes the disease we now call COVID-19. That word, in its common usage, is a synonym for “new.” But only a few were sure that that was all the scientists at the World Health Organization … Read more

Something extraordinary caught my attention the other night while watching the closing graphics of the CNN weather report. It was a map showing the quality of the air for each country in our part of the world. There, in light blue, signifying purity, was the figure “1” for the Philippines. I took a quick glance … Read more

Every government likes to think of itself as the all-seeing arbiter of what needs to be done to protect the people from a catastrophe like the coronavirus pandemic. But even in the most tightly managed societies, this capacity for control and overarching wisdom is illusory. It is no match to the inherent predisposition of society’s … Read more

Sometimes the simplest things in life seem so complicated that people have to cite statistics to prove a point. For example: That while death and illness can occur at any point in the course of life, the risk of dying from any disease rises with old age. With COVID-19, the risk of dying for older … Read more

It must be very hard for President Duterte to find himself having to make a decision on an issue where the slightest miscalculation could lead to catastrophic consequences, and with no one to blame. Like autocrats whose experience at ruling has mostly been carved in premodern settings, Mr. Duterte trusts too much in his own … Read more

As we enter the sixth week of the Luzon-wide lockdown, not a few observers have urged the loosening of the drastic quarantine measures that have been put in place to control the spread of the coronavirus. But many, not seeing a strong enough reason for its imposition, have simply gone ahead to break quarantine rules. … Read more

Although there was already much talk during the day that the lockdown over Luzon to stop the spread of the coronavirus might be extended till the end of April, President Duterte’s late-night speech last Monday failed to confirm it. He was “inclined,” he said, but he could not say it categorically. The following morning, Secretary … Read more