Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES The one thing, I think, President Duterte is learning in the seven months he has been in office is that the government will not instantaneously abide by everything he says whenever he speaks. His officials will increasingly insist that presidential instructions, particularly those that could be questioned on legal and constitutional grounds, be put in … Read more
The ratio is about 2:1. For every drug suspect killed in an acknowledged police operation, at least two others are killed by unknown assassins. Why this seeming preference for anonymous murder in a campaign that has been authorized by no less than the country’s president? Both types of killings are taking place mainly in the … Read more
The biggest beneficiaries of the current campaign against drugs are the rogue elements in the police force—particularly those “with an entrepreneurial affinity for proactive graft.” This type of police officers can turn every rebooted anticrime effort into an opportunity to shake down the vulnerable. They will not hesitate to use the exigencies of law enforcement … Read more
To be able to state what seems commonsensical without fear of being labeled immoral, or criminal, or uncivilized, or even crazy, has been one of President Duterte’s abiding rhetorical skills. It is what makes him a captivating speaker despite his penchant for longwinded and incoherent monologues. One never knows what he’s going to say, or … Read more
Over the holidays, one of my daughters chanced upon my mobile phone and was dismayed to see that I had 37,805 unread e-mails in my mailbox. “Why do you have so much unread mail, Papa?” she asked, half-amused and half-worried. “Because so much time is taken up just reading them, and even more to answer … Read more
The youngest of my grandchildren, the year-old Alonso, has lately been showing me how to walk. Holding on to my finger, he takes big strides, leading with the left foot. This sends him into a wobble that he then counters with a steady right foot. He loves going up staircases, advancing and retreating at every … Read more
There is a medieval view of politics that unfortunately persists in societies like ours: that the winner takes all; that, following the election of a new president, all the key positions in government must be vacated to give way to the appointment of those most loyal to the president, irrespective of merit. Nothing does more … Read more
The word “impunity” simply means “without punishment,” or exempted from penalty—in reference to acts that normally require accountability and punishment. In the vocabulary of human rights advocacy, however, the term has a more textured meaning, reflecting the complex challenges that human rights activists have had to face over the years in societies wracked by political … Read more
My good friend, Dodong Nemenzo, professor emeritus of politics and former president of the University of the Philippines, recently gave me an intriguing book. The title alone, “The Dictator’s Handbook” (2011), is sufficiently beguiling, and I couldn’t wait to read it. But, halfway through the book, I realized it is not just about tyrannical regimes; … Read more
Do lawmakers have a sexual life? Presumably, they do, and they ought to know that this is a private matter. If so, why would they inquire into the details of another person’s sexual life in the course of the performance of their legislative function? I suppose the quick answer would be: Because if that person … Read more