Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES

For almost a decade after the hanging of the Filipino domestic helper Flor Contemplacion in Singapore, I stopped going there. I couldn’t forget the insensitivity and arrogance that marked the handling of her final moments. But time heals all wounds. And—irony of all ironies—my youngest daughter decided to study, work, and raise a family there. … Read more

Most Filipinos probably do not know where Crimea is. In any case, it is doubtful if there are OFWs there. I have not heard the Department of Foreign Affairs issue alerts for Pinoys in Ukraine, the way it recently did for those working in Venezuela. But, though they may not know where Crimea is, chances … Read more

A garden has been described as a place where human purpose meets Nature, “a gesture against the wild,” the Welsh poet R.S. Thomas eloquently put it. Although much too encompassing, this definition personally appeals to me. It reminds me of a day last year, just before the start of the rainy season, when, looking out … Read more

The provision of affordable social housing to low-income families has been a persistent concern of the country’s successive administrations. The problem proceeds from the perception that the government simply lacks the kind of money needed to fully address the housing needs of the poor. The private sector would rather invest in high-end housing where profit … Read more

Invited to participate in the external review of a Japanese university’s program to systematize its globalization thrust, I found myself in Tokyo this past week meditating on what the term “globalization” means for education. Japan is probably the best place to observe how a nation attempts to adjust to the emergent realities of a globalized … Read more

About two weeks ago, I was invited to speak at the Second Inquirer Conversation held at the University of Santo Tomas. I gave a brief PowerPoint presentation to introduce the topic—how the Internet and the social media are changing our lives. People have since asked for a copy of that talk, but I have not … Read more

It has become fashionable to pronounce the return of Philippine democracy through the 1986 people power uprising a failure—on two counts. One, because it has made no dent on the economic condition of the poor. And two, because it has not been able to dismantle the rule of political dynasties. Both points are persuasive. The … Read more

Some years from now, when students of politics and governance begin to publish scholarly papers on the structure of official corruption in our country, the Janet Lim-Napoles scam could emerge as the most crucial episode in the nation’s struggle to modernize its political system.  We might then realize that the effort we exert today to … Read more

In the months following the overthrow of the Marcos regime in February 1986, Filipinos greeted the air of freedom with a euphoric sigh of relief. The word “miracle” was on everybody’s lips. This was a way of making sense of a series of events that could have easily taken a different turn—what sociologists call a … Read more

As guilty as they may be in the public eye, legislators who are accused of receiving kickbacks from their pork barrel allocations have every right to defend themselves against attempts to prejudge their guilt. The determination of wrongdoing is best left to the justice system. But, this brings up the question of the function of … Read more