Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES Asked if he had anything to say about candidates for public office who give away religious items to enhance their public image, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, current head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, admonished these politicians not to “abuse and misuse” sacred objects to gain political mileage. He said: “If we speak of … Read more
This week, “Public Lives” marks its 20th year. My first piece for the Inquirer saw print on July 9, 1995, a Sunday. I remember choosing a rather pretentious title, “In search of anonymity,” for a column that dealt with a trivial event, the arrest of the British actor Hugh Grant “for lewd conduct” while having … Read more
This week, “Public Lives” marks its 20th year. My first piece for the Inquirer saw print on July 9, 1995, a Sunday. I remember choosing a rather pretentious title, “In search of anonymity,” for a column that dealt with a trivial event, the arrest of the British actor Hugh Grant “for lewd conduct” while having … Read more
Last July 5, Greece went back to its Athenian roots and did what is considered unthinkable in modern times—let the people themselves directly decide what to do with their country’s huge public debt. And decide they did. In an unprecedented referendum called to determine whether to accept or reject the harsh terms of a third … Read more
Last July 5, Greece went back to its Athenian roots and did what is considered unthinkable in modern times—let the people themselves directly decide what to do with their country’s huge public debt. And decide they did. In an unprecedented referendum called to determine whether to accept or reject the harsh terms of a third … Read more
In many ways, the state of politics and governance in the city of Makati exemplifies everything that is dysfunctional in the nation’s political system. Law is put in a position of having to constantly assert and defend its autonomy against political power. The official is so tightly folded into the personal that it becomes impossible … Read more
In many ways, the state of politics and governance in the city of Makati exemplifies everything that is dysfunctional in the nation’s political system. Law is put in a position of having to constantly assert and defend its autonomy against political power. The official is so tightly folded into the personal that it becomes impossible … Read more
In my column last Thursday (“The ‘undecided’ in opinion surveys”), I made the point that many questions asked in surveys are on issues so complex that a conscientious respondent would not be able to truthfully answer them. The result quite often, I said, is the large number of “undecided” respondents—a phenomenon that may take forms … Read more
Most people have never participated in an opinion survey, nor have they seen one being conducted. This may sometimes make them wonder if the opinion surveys reported in media are real. I can assure skeptics that they are real. But the probability of being picked as one of the 1,200 respondents in a typical nationwide … Read more
In my column last Thursday (“The ‘undecided’ in opinion surveys”), I made the point that many questions asked in surveys are on issues so complex that a conscientious respondent would not be able to truthfully answer them. The result quite often, I said, is the large number of “undecided” respondents—a phenomenon that may take forms … Read more