Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES Hoping to catch the early bloom of cherry blossoms, I flew to Tokyo this week with my eldest granddaughter Julia, a digital animation student and devoted Japanophile. We arrived with the expectation of seeing trees draped in soft pinks—but quickly realized we were a week too early. Instead of petals, we found buds: green and … Read more
The arrest and March 11 handover of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a defining moment for the Philippines. To make sense of what may come next, we must look beyond the spectacle and examine the deeper fault lines in our political system. At the heart of this crisis is … Read more
No one is above the law. Yet too often, justice requires an extra push to bring powerful figures to account. This past week, the Filipino people witnessed a historic moment: the arrest of a former president—one feared and influential—by Philippine authorities for trial before an international court. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague … Read more
Politics is emotional. It is not always about rational problem-solving but about shaping the way people see the world. Leaders like Hitler, Trump, and Duterte gain loyalty not necessarily by delivering results but by reinforcing their followers’ perceptions—of their problems, enemies, and place in the world. These politicians do not just sell a worldview; they … Read more
Sometimes called the “great pause,” the COVID-19 pandemic began in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China. One month later, on Jan. 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a “public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC),” later naming the disease COVID-19—Coronavirus Disease 2019. Nearly three and a half years later, on May 5, … Read more
In times when hope feels scarce, we look back to a moment in our nation’s history when we believed our chance at greatness had finally arrived. Enough time has passed to allow us to assess, with some objectivity, what we got right and where we failed. Knowing this may help us understand why our political … Read more
The impeachment this week of Vice President Sara Duterte by the House of Representatives marks a formal indictment following a months-long congressional investigation into her alleged illegal actions. It initiates her trial before the Senate, acting as a quasi-judicial body. From the outset, impeachment reveals its dual nature. It is fundamentally political, designed to remove … Read more
Last week’s column, (see “The American backlash against modernity,” 1/26/25) elicited responses that seemed to conflate three distinct yet related ideas: modernity, “wokeness,” and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Here, I aim to clarify how these concepts differ and intersect. While these concepts are most often discussed in the West, particularly in America’s culture wars, … Read more
President Donald Trump’s political comeback in the 2024 United States presidential election, though not a landslide, is nothing short of phenomenal. He secured victories in all the swing states, earning a decisive majority of electoral votes and the nationwide popular vote. Additionally, the Republican Party, now indelibly stamped with his personal brand, gained control of … Read more
Fire weather” is a term increasingly used to describe the atmospheric conditions that have rendered California’s recent wildfires uncontrollable. This emerging pattern combines hot, dry air that draws moisture from the soil and vegetation, strong winds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour that drive fire fronts forward and scatter embers across vast distances, prolonged droughts or … Read more