Randy David | PUBLIC LIVES

The politicization of the justice system and of law enforcement itself was never more blatant than during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. His bloody war on drugs enabled him to impose his will on the whole government as well as to intimidate the rest of society. By exploiting people’s fear of being tagged as a … Read more

At various points during the July 25 televised presidential briefing on the disaster situation created by Supertyphoon “Carina” (International name: Gaemi) in conjunction with the southwest monsoon, President Marcos expressed his frustration over the type of information he was getting from the different government agencies in attendance. The President and his officials were clearly not … Read more

We have long been accustomed to seeing the world as a global system of nation-states. In this view, the word “international” refers to relations between and among nation-states. Today, however, that term is used less often. It has given way to the term “global,” signifying the momentous emergence of a new world system that operates … Read more

As one of the three most important pilgrimage sites of the Catholic world, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the purported remains of St. James the Apostle are buried, is visited by millions of pilgrims every year. Many arrive in Compostela by plane, by train, or by bus. What is called the Camino de … Read more

Doing the Camino,” the shorthand way of saying one is going on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, has been on my “bucket list” since 2005 when I first heard about it from a German friend. He told me how he had been training for a 40-day 800-kilometer walk to Santiago via the … Read more

Speaking to the country’s soldiers last Thursday during a visit to the Army’s 10th Infantry Division in Davao de Oro, President Marcos made a pitch for strengthening the military’s capabilities as it shifts from internal operations to external defense. He said emphatically: “We are not going to war against anybody … We are just being … Read more

As in any society that calls itself modern, law and politics in America are distinct and separate spheres. They operate by different codes, and one is not superior to the other. Decisions made in the legal sphere do not determine what happens in the political sphere, and vice-versa, even as their effects may spill beyond … Read more

Not since I began walking regularly, sometimes twice a day and mainly inside the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus, have I feared being bumped by a car or a motorbike even while crossing on marked pedestrian lanes. Unless I raise the palm of my hand to oncoming vehicles, I find that drivers will … Read more

Last week, we stood in total awe as a flotilla of small Filipino fishing boats headed toward Scarborough Shoal, a disputed crop of rocks in the West Philippine Sea visible only at low tide, basically to assert the rights of Filipino fisherfolk to fish in that area. As they sailed into the open sea from … Read more

A friend of mine, who observes and comments on political happenings, regularly sends me information straight from the “grapevine.” A lot of it does not make it to the news. But a few items are soon enough picked up by various media platforms, and later become the object of congressional investigations. Without grapevine sources, news … Read more