Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES Presidents of the Republic give countless speeches in the course of their terms. These speeches vary not only in length and style and their audiences, but also in the degree to which they are shared with the larger public. The one thing they have in common is that they all carry the authority of the … Read more
Social Weather Stations, or SWS, pegs President Duterte’s net satisfaction rating for the second quarter of 2018 at +45 percent, down 11 percent from his first quarter rating of +56 percent, but still “good.” Pulse Asia, on the other hand, records a very high 88 percent approval rating for the President for the same quarter, … Read more
The basic selling point of the Duterte administration’s planned shift to a federal system is that it would equalize development opportunities across the various regions of the country, check the traditional political dominance of a few favored centers, and thereby end mass poverty in the periphery. There is no basis for this expectation either in … Read more
It’s difficult to say what provoked President Duterte to mount a sustained verbal attack on the Catholic faith and the religious clergy this past week. Perhaps, Mr. Duterte himself doesn’t know. Self-awareness and rhetorical restraint have never been his strong suits. But, he clearly revels in his high survey ratings. He takes them as irrefutable … Read more
After President Duterte spoke of his wish to see city streets rid of bystanders who like to spend the night at street corners and public places singing, drinking, gambling or just shooting the breeze, the Philippine National Police started rounding up everyone they thought had no business being where they were. In so doing, the … Read more
The violent attacks on Catholic priests, resulting in the killing of three and the serious wounding of one in the last seven months, represent an alarming development in our nation’s life. It crosses a line that generations of Filipinos have respected even in revolutionary times. Two of the murders were committed inside chapels, while the … Read more
One hundred and twenty years ago, our ancestors raised the Philippine flag from a balcony in Kawit, Cavite to signify the beginning of our journey as a free nation. Hijacked by the United States of America right at the start, and interrupted by Japan during World War II, the quest for an independent Filipino nation … Read more
A legislative bill creating a national ID system is just inches away from becoming a law. But, for a measure that has been proposed by nearly every administration in the last 20 years, the issues it throws up have not really engaged the attention of the average Filipino on the street. I don’t think we … Read more
There can be no doubt that the world system which determines the relations of nations to one another has dramatically changed over the last 30 years. The United States of America, the superpower that completely dominated the world stage following the collapse of Soviet socialism, is manifestly retreating from its role as a global leader … Read more
The relationship between law and politics is always a complex one. On one hand, they are coupled to one another. Politics produces and shapes the law, and law regulates the practice of politics. But, on the other hand, law and politics must be able to operate autonomously of each other — that is, governed by … Read more