Conversations With Randy David

Filipinos are confident performers, says Edru Abraham, founder of Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino (Kontra-GaPi). But they shouldn't be content with just interpreting other people's music.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't look to the west... if you want to enrich your musical life," he tells sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David. "But there is enough here to excite you. Learn as much as you can to create your own music, your own style, something... specific to you and to your own community."

Notes:

Some music in this episode is sourced from KontraGaPi on YouTube.

"We ARE testing people." What protocols are the government observing to ensure our health and safety? How widely is COVID-19 expected to spread? And what measures are being conducted worldwide to contain the disease? Infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvana, the director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the National Institutes of Health, speaks with sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David.

Note: This episode was recorded on February 17, 2020. There have been developments since then. 

How is COVID-19 transmitted? Is it deadly? Should you wear a mask? Or cancel your travel plans? We get clarity from infectious disease specialist Dr. Edsel Salvana, the director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the National Institutes of Health, UP Manila. Listen to his conversation with sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David.

"If you strike a kulintang, you begin to join yourself with your ancestors. You've been awakened." - Edru Abraham, founder of Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino (Kontra-GaPi), the resident ethnic music and dance ensemble of the College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman.

In part one of his conversation with sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David, Abraham talks about music that allows us to reflect on our Filipino heritage.  "It forces you to consider what things were before 1521."

Does your city hall look like every other city hall you've seen? Is your favorite mall identical to the mall you visited on your last trip to the province? Is the condo you're eyeing no different from the others in the neighborhood?  Urban planner and landscape architect Paulo Alcazaren mourns the loss of a sense of place and identity in part two of his conversation with sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David.

What makes a city livable? Definitely not its citizens getting run over while crossing the street, or trapped under a fallen billboard in the middle of a typhoon. Urban planner and landscape architect Paulo Alcazaren talks about everything we've been missing in Metro Manila, and how this came to be, with sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David.

Unexplained wealth, cheating (and good looks) dictating the results of elections, congressmen giving themselves backpay amid the destruction of World War II... What was politics like in the time of Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel L. Quezon, and Elpidio Quirino? Not very different from today, as historian Ambeth Ocampo tells sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David.

Heroes need braces, too. Like us, they're flawed. And Dr. Jose Rizal? He might've even had bad breath.  Learn all the juicy details as sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David talks to historian Ambeth Ocampo, who insists: "By making our historical personages human, you show that it is in their humanity that they became great." Bonus: here's why Filipino curses are so lame in comparison to Egyptian ones. Also, how do seances figure into our history?

Did you know that 87 percent of all Filipinos who enter the public school system don't graduate from high school?  Sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David interviews Teach for the Philippines President Clarissa Delgado about their efforts to ensure that Filipinos get a relevant, inclusive, and excellent education.

Sociologist, writer, and leading public intellectual Randy David discusses the power of the internet, the changing way we consume content, and the dark days of the Marcos regime with veteran broadcast journalist Cheche Lazaro.